As Frank Seravalli tweeted Friday morning: “Salt in the wound for #Oilers fans: Philip Broberg makes Olympic selection of Team Sweden about Mattias Ekholm.” It’s a somewhat surprising decision, given Ekholm’s history of playing internationally for Sweden. This may be a harsh statement, as the rest will go well for Ekholm, but it will still be a disappointment for the Oilers’ d-man.
Broberg is a talented young defender. He plays a big role in the plans for the St. Louis Blues and may be a solid top-four blueliner in the NHL after taking some time to find his rhythm. Ekholm is a veteran of 925 NHL games.
Broberg earned it. He has been a true workhorse for the Blues since being included by the team in an offer sheet from the Oilers. He’s come into his own as a Blue, filling just about every role they ask of him and doing it without a hitch, while logging 22 to 25 minutes a night.
Team Sweden has picked older players, so it’s not necessarily about the team getting younger. Oliver Ekman-Larsson has been included in the selection for the Winter Olympics and he is 34 years old.
Full team Sweden squad
Goalkeepers: Filip Gustavsson, Jacob Markstrom, Jesper Wallstedt
Defenders: Rasmus Andersson, Philip Broberg, Jonas Brodin, Rasmus Dahlin, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Gustav Forsling, Victor Hedman, Erik Karlsson
Forward: Jesper Bratt, Leo Carlsson, Joel Eriksson Ek, Filip Forsberg, Pontus Holmberg, Adrian Kempe, Gabriel Landeskog, Elias Lindholm, William Nylander, Elias Pettersson, Rickard Rakell, Lucas Raymond, Alex Wennberg, MIka Zibanejad
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