{"id":385541,"date":"2026-01-03T12:18:19","date_gmt":"2026-01-03T12:18:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/385541\/"},"modified":"2026-01-03T12:18:19","modified_gmt":"2026-01-03T12:18:19","slug":"ex-maple-leafs-winger-shockingly-makes-sweden-olympic-roster","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/385541\/","title":{"rendered":"Ex-Maple Leafs winger shockingly makes Sweden Olympic roster"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Sports<\/a>Hockey<\/a>NHL<\/a>Toronto Maple Leafs<\/a>Olympics<\/a><\/p>\n

Tampa Bay Lightning’s Pontus Holmberg, who spend three seasons in Toronto, will be heading to Italy for the Winter Games<\/p>\n

Published Jan 02, 2026 \u00a0\u2022\u00a0 Last updated 16\u00a0hours ago \u00a0\u2022\u00a0 2 minute read<\/p>\n

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\"TampaTampa Bay Lightning right winger Pontus Holmberg and Los Angeles Kings’ Andrei Kuzmenko chase down the puck during a game. AP PhotoArticle content<\/p>\n

When rosters for big international hockey tournaments are revealed, there will always be one or two players that stick out as surprising additions.<\/p>\n

With Sweden announcing its official men\u2019s hockey roster<\/a> for next month\u2019s Winter Olympic Games in Milano-Cortina, Italy, a former Maple Leafs forward has caught a few eyes with his inclusion.<\/p>\n

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Pontus Holmberg, who joined the Tampa Bay Lightning as a free agent from Toronto last summer, is one of the more shocking players to make a 2026 Olympic roster.<\/p>\n

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Holmberg will be heading to Italy despite notching just six goals and six assists in 33 games so far this season with the Lightning. He is averaging 12:53 of ice time per game while playing in a bottom-six role.<\/p>\n

Among Tampa\u2019s forwards, he is averaging the 10th-most ice time<\/a> and hasn\u2019t contributed much as a penalty killer, either.<\/p>\n

He also ranks ninth on the Lightning in hits with 34 and his 16 blocked shots puts him 16th on the team.<\/p>\n

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Holmberg didn\u2019t make much of an impact during his time in Toronto. Over his three years with the Maple Leafs, he scored 49 points in 159 games<\/a> and was a healthy scratch on several occasions.<\/p>\n

He became an unrestricted free agent after the 2024-25 season and opted to sign a two-year, $3.1-million deal with the Bolts after it was made clear that the Leafs wouldn\u2019t be interested in bringing him back in that price range.<\/p>\n

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\"Toronto <\/p>\n

Maple Leafs’ Oliver Ekman-Larsson makes Team Sweden, Matthew Knies snubbed by U.S.<\/p>\n

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Will Ferrell dresses as NHL referee at LA Kings game, calls penalties from stands<\/p>\n

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While his inclusion on Team Sweden is a shock, it should be noted that Holmberg does have some Olympic experience, having won bronze with Sweden at the 2022 Games in Beijing. During the tournament in China, Holmberg notched two assists in six games.<\/p>\n

He\u2019ll join former Toronto teammates William Nylander and Oliver Ekman-Larsson in the squad.<\/p>\n

Who got snubbed?<\/p>\n

One player that seemingly was snubbed for the 26-year-old winger is Flames\u2019 Mikael Backlund. Calgary\u2019s captain may be closer to the end of his career at 36 years old, but he remains a stalwart of his team.<\/p>\n

Backlund has 25 points in 40 games this season<\/a>\u00a0but has been an excellent two-way player and one of the league\u2019s most dependable penalty killers. He has received votes for the Selke Trophy in eight of the past nine seasons and has won 51.3% of his faceoffs this season.<\/p>\n

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