Tampa Bay Lightning: Victor Hedman, Anton Stralman Named To Team Sweden
Tampa Bay Lightning defensemen Victor Hedman and Anton Stralman have been named to Team Sweden for the 2016 World Cup of Hockey later this year.
There is nothing quite like watching your favorite players take the ice and battle it out with the hopes of bringing the points home and helping their team achieve glory when the postseason comes around. Well…that is unless there is an opportunity for those very same players to take the ice on an international scale and work together to bring glory to their respective countries.
It just so happens that hockey fans are about to have just that opportunity. No…it’s not quite time for the Winter Olympic Games just yet; however, we are just a few months away from the 2016 World Cup of Hockey. Earlier today, the rosters for the respective teams was released to the public. According to NHL.com, the Tampa Bay Lightning has not one, but two, players headed to the Air Canada Centre in Toronto to represent Team Sweden.
Tampa Bay Lightning defensemen Victor Hedman and Anton Stralman have been selected to represent their native Sweden in the international tournament, which is set to kick off on September 17th at the Air Canada Centre, the home of the Toronto Maple Leafs. If there are any two players on the Tampa Bay Lightning who deserve to play in a tournament like this one, it would be Victor Hedman and Anton Stralman.
Ever since he played for Barys Astana of the Kontinental Hockey League during the NHL Lockout, Victor Hedman’s game has done nothing but continue to get better. Not only is he a force to be reckoned with on the defensive side of things, Hedman is able to use his size to increase his speed on the ice and being quite the force on the offensive things as well.
Victor Hedman has played in all but one game with the Tampa Bay Lightning this season. In that amount of time, Hedman has been able to score 6 goals and a whopping 30 assists for a total of 36 points. Hedman is first place among Lightning defensemen in overall points and third place overall in points.
One of the best things that come along with the addition of a player like Victor Hedman brings is leadership. Victor Hedman may not have been in the league for quite as long as someone like Jaromir Jagr, but Hedman has grown so much in his time in the National Hockey League that he brings as much as any veteran leader.
Speaking of veteran leaders, Anton Stralman is the perfect addition to Team Sweden’s roster as they head into the 2016 World Cup of Hockey; especially if he is paired up with his Tampa Bay Lightning linemate Victor Hedman. Much like Hedman, Stralman is an excellent two-way defenseman who has really been making a name for himself on the offensive side of things as of late.
Anton Stralman has played in each and every game with the Tampa Bay Lightning this season. Over the course of the season, the 29-year-old Lightning defenseman has scored 9 goals and 21 assists for a total of 30 points. These numbers place Stralman in 5th place overall on the Lightning in terms of overall points. Stralman is also second on the team among defensemen in points.
Team Sweden is going to be incredibly hard to beat in this tournament. Not only to they have expert goaltending, but they also have a solid defensive core with the ability to break up plays and keep the offense far from their goaltender.
Here is a closer look at the players who will be joining Victor Hedman and Anton Stralman on their journey to Toronto to represent their native Sweden at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey courtesy of NHL.com.
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As we said before, Team Sweden is one of the best put together teams in the entire tournament. If there is any problem with Team Sweden’s lineup, it is that they simply have too much talent for one team. If any of the other countries in the competition want to come out on top, they are going to have to bring their absolute best offensive game; otherwise, they are not going to be able to get past Sweden’s defense.
Next: Ondrej Palat, Andrej Sustr Named to Czech Republic Roster
What do you think of Team Sweden’s roster? Do you think they have what it takes to go all the way in the tournament? Let us know what you think in the comments below.