MANNHEIM – It seemed to be a match made in heaven, their love affair. Coach Bengt-Åke Gustafsson had been a Tre Kronor legend himself, and now, as the head coach of the country’s most beloved sports team, he led it to a historic double. In 2006, Sweden won the Olympic gold and the World Championship, as the first nation ever to capture both titles in two different tournaments played in the same year.

Four years later, as Gustafsson is about to step down, he’ll lead his team to his fourth World Championship amid some suggestions that he should have let Per Mårts, his successor, take over already after the Olympics.

But there he is again, behind the Swedish bench, but the players on the bench aren’t the same as six years ago. No Sundin, no Forsberg, no Alfredsson, no Modin, no... well, not any of the old guard. Not many from the Olympics, either - unless the Detroit Red Wings get ousted from the Stanley Cup playoffs. Only six NHLers, and just three Olympians are on the roster a few days before the first game. Gustafsson went with youth instead: Sweden has six players born in 1990 or later.

The players, who under Mårts twice went to the World Junior Championship final against Canada, are the backbone of the new Tre Kronor. Germany is the starting point for them.

Goal

Last year was Jonas Gustavsson’s breakthrough year as he led Färjestad to the Swedish title, then joined the Swedish national team at the World Championship in Switzerland. He played five games, posted a respectable 91.39 save percentage while keeping thoughts of his mother seriously ill back in Sweden at bay.

Then he signed with the Toronto Maple Leafs, underwent two heart surgeries, a season on a team in turmoil, but managed to start 39 games, won 16 of them, more than twice as many as the next Leafs goalie.

And now he’s Team Sweden’s starter at the World Championship.

His backup, Jacob Markström, 20, will surely get a start or two, and he’ll most likely be stellar, as well. While Sweden may not be as deep in goal as Finland or Canada, they have developed several excellent goalies in recent years, and Markström is the crown jewel of them all.

Defence

A year can make such a difference, especially when you’re an 18-year-old hockey player. Like Victor Hedman was last October when he played his first NHL regular season games with the Tampa Bay Lightning. The smooth-skating giant has grown to be a leader of the Swedish defence. He moves the puck well, and he moves well himself.

Many of the young Swedish defencemen will have to mature in a hurry. Oliver Ekman-Larsson played all season in Hockeyallsvenskan, the second-tier league in Sweden, and he will have to take his game up a notch. Fortunately for Sweden, he can do it. Four of the eight defencemen on the preliminary roster were 19 or younger.

Forwards

The last time Michael Nylander was the brain behind Sweden’s offence, they won the gold medal. That was four years ago in Riga when he collected nine points in six World Championship games. Since then, the gifted playmaker seems to have lost his touch, ending up in Helsinki Jokerit in the Finnish SM-liiga, via Bruce Boudreau’s doghouse in Washington.

There’s a lot of potential on the team - Niclas Bergfors scored 21 goals in the NHL, Linus Omark 20 and Mattias Weinhandl 26 in the KHL, and Andreas Engqvist was a point-a-game player in the Swedish playoffs - but the Swedes will need scoring by committee.

Coaching

Some other hockey nations might be happy with a coach that brings home an Olympic gold, a World championship gold, and a bronze in four years, but not the Swedes. Gustafsson’s predecessor Hardy Nilsson was run out of the country, after two World Championship silvers, and two bronze medals – and a failed World Cup.

Gustafsson got off to a dream start, but the lack of medals has added to the pressure and criticism he faces. His coaching style seems casual, being almost laissez-faire leadership where the players are his equals. It worked wonders with the likes of Sundin and Lidström, and now we will see how it works with the next generation of players.

Projected Results

If the Swedes get off to a good start, if the Red Wings fly to their help, and if the team sails to the quarterfinal, the sky is the limit. On the other hand, an upset against them early in the tournament might also send them to a death spiral. This time around, their opening game against neighbouring Norway is important.

Good goaltending, quick defence, and smart offence should be enough to be in the fight for medals, and Sweden has all that.

RISTO PAKARINEN