Carlsson, Wallstedt lead 1st projected Sweden roster for 2027 All-Star Game

The NHL unveiled the logo for the 2027 Honda NHL All-Star Game on Wednesday, officially starting the countdown to the event at UBS Arena on Long Island on Feb. 5-6.

The All-Star Game will feature five teams -- Canada, Finland, Sweden, the United States and a "World" team comprised of international players from countries outside of the other four teams -- competing in a three-on-three, round-robin exhibition tournament.

Each team will consist of 11 players: nine skaters and two goaltenders. The NHL and NHL Players' Association will select 30 players from each of the participating teams for the 2027 NHL All-Star Fan Vote, which will open in December. From that list, fans will have the opportunity to select eight players from each team. The remaining three roster spots for each team -- one forward, one defenseman and one goalie -- will be selected jointly by the NHL and NHLPA.

Although the NHL All-Star Game is still eight months away, NHL.com is going to take a first attempt to predict the rosters for each team and will revisit these predictions at times during the season.

Today, senior writers Amalie Benjamin and Tom Gulitti, and staff writer Jon Lane, give their early prediction for Sweden's roster (in alphabetical order by position):

Skaters

Leo Carlsson, F, Anaheim Ducks
Rasmus Dahlin, D, Buffalo Sabres
Filip Forsberg, F, Nashville Predators
Victor Hedman, D, Tampa Bay Lightning
Erik Karlsson, D, Pittsburgh Penguins
Gabriel Landeskog, F, Colorado Avalanche
Adrian Kempe, F, Los Angeles Kings
William Nylander, F, Toronto Maple Leafs
Mika Zibanejad, F, New York Rangers

We had some difficult decisions in this group, with Detroit Red Wings forward Lucas Raymond and New Jersey Devils forward Jesper Bratt among those who didn't make the cut. Each of the three defensemen -- Dahlin, Karlsson and Hedman -- can transport the puck and spark offense. Kempe (four goals) and Nylander (three) were among the top goal-scorers in the League during 3-on-3 overtime last season.

Goalies

Jesper Wallstedt, Minnesota Wild
Linus Ullmark, Ottawa Senators

This wasn't a slam dunk and won't be until we see how the goalies perform this season in the NHL. Jacob Markstrom (Florida Panthers) and Filip Gustavsson (Wild) each could be in consideration by the time All-Star rosters come out. That might be especially true for Markstrom, who had a down season in 2025-26  with the Devils but might see those numbers pick up after his June 30 trade to the team that won the Stanley Cup two of the past three seasons.