STOCKHOLM – Don’t be misled by Sweden’s six straight exhibition losses heading into the 2012 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship. Having medaled at the last three Worlds (two bronzes and a silver), Tre Kronor has its sights set on gold this year with a stacked roster. They’ve slotted in top-shelf NHLers on the eve of the tournament.

Some Swedish journalists are already speculating that this could be the best World Championship team their nation has ever iced. That might be a stretch, considering the presence of Peter Forsberg and Mats Sundin on the golden 1992 and 1998 teams, for instance. And there’s a lot of hockey to be played between now and May 20 in Helsinki. Still, the Swedes should contend for top spot in their group on home ice in Stockholm, and in the elimination games, to borrow from ABBA, they could be singing “The Winner Takes It All” while sending their rivals to their “Waterloo.”

Goal

This is Viktor Fasth’s opportunity to finish what he started last year. The late-blooming 30-year-old, who’s started for AIK Stockholm the last two years, earned Best Goalie honours and an all-star berth at last year’s tournament in Slovakia. But Finland ventilated Fasth for five goals in the third period of the gold medal game. He still wound up with amazing numbers: a 1.71 GAA and 94.6 save percentage. He’s an intense competitor and will be looking for redemption for those last 20 minutes.

Jhonas Enroth of the Buffalo Sabres, a 2008 World U20 silver medalist, will make his Worlds debut at age 23. He’s coming off an NHL career-high 26 appearances with the Buffalo Sabres. Christoph Nilhlstrop, a Swedish Elitserien champion with Färjestad in 2011, is the third netminder.

Defence

Tre Kronor’s defence has all the elements required for dominance. Exhibit A is Norris Trophy candidate Erik Karlsson of the Ottawa Senators, whose 78 points led his nearest competition among NHL blueliners (Dustin Byfuglien and Brian Campbell) by 25 points. The 21-year-old’s blazing speed and power play expertise will be enormous assets.

When you factor in the massive bodychecks of Detroit’s Niklas Kronwall, the overall physical presence of fellow Red Wing Jonathan Ericsson, and the Stanley Cup-winning experience that Chicago’s Niklas Hjalmarsson shares with the aforementioned two players, this group is not going to be fun for opposing forwards to match up against.

Forward

Swedish captain Daniel Alfredsson is possibly competing in his final Worlds (his seventh) at age 39. The all-time leading scorer of the Ottawa Senators became a national hero here in Stockholm in 1995 when he potted a semi-final overtime goal against Canada. But “Alfie” is certainly not the only weapon the Swedes can deploy up front this year.

Even though Vancouver’s magical Sedin twins are not participating, Loui Eriksson of the Dallas Stars is expected to spark the offence. The 26-year-old left wing just completed his third consecutive NHL season with 70-plus points. Henrik Zetterberg, Detroit’s 2008 Conn Smythe Trophy winner, is one of hockey’s best two-way forwards, and 19-year-old Gabriel Landeskog should provide similar all-around awareness and the physicality that’s made the Colorado Avalanche rookie a leading candidate for the Calder Trophy. From the explosive acceleration of Chicago’s Viktor Stalberg to the pure power game of Detroit’s Johan Franzen, Tre Kronor’s forward group has a look for every occasion.

Coaching

As a head coach with the Swedish program, Pär Mårts has a history of delivering silver or bronze medals. The 59-year-old Falun native came second twice with the U20 squad (2008, 2009) and third once (2010), and when he took over the senior team last year in Slovakia, he came away with silver. Is Mårts ready to take that final step? His outlook is innovative, philosophical, and player-centric, and he wants the team to play with an uptempo, winning attitude.

The assistant coaches are Roger Rönnberg, who came through with Sweden’s first World Junior gold medal in 31 years back in January, and Peter Popovic, a towering former NHL defenceman who’s been in his current position since last year.

Projected Results

If Sweden wins the tournament, it wouldn’t technically break the so-called “home ice curse,” because the gold medal game will be in Finland. (No host team has captured a World Championship since the Soviet Union in 1986.) But that won’t matter to fans cheering on the blue-and-yellow squad. 2006, the best year in Swedish hockey history, feels like a long time ago. Tre Kronor supporters are justified in believing this year’s team is well-placed to finally capture another gold – or at least a medal of some shade.

LUCAS AYKROYD