Tre Kronor has appointed its team captains for the Winter Olympics in Milan Cortina 2026. Gabriel Landeskog will be captain and Victor Hedman and Erik Karlsson will be assistants.
– We have some guys who are actually captains of their NHL teams, so we have a pretty broad leadership group. But I think it’s symbolic of “Gabe’s” journey to enter this tournament, where he’s been and what he’s done, I know that the rest of the team respects him very much, says Sweden’s national team captain Sam Hallam.
Colorado Avalanches forward Landeskog was one of the first six selected for the Olympic squad in June. At the time, it had only been a few months since he made a comeback from his knee injury that kept him out for almost three years. Landeskog has scored 22 points (7+15) in 41 games with the Avalanche this season. But he has not played since January 4 – when he was injured in the meeting with the Florida Panthers. But now the 33-year-old is ready for games.
– Of course everyone is happy for him and we are happy that he is here. It’s an incredible journey he’s been through and a little bit in the last few weeks as well. Everything that happened, so it’s awesome to see him here, says Mika Zibanejad, everyday in the New York Rangers.
Landeskog, who captains Colorado by day, was an assistant captain when NHL players last played in the Olympics (Sochi 2014), and has been an assistant captain for Sweden in two World Cup tournaments (2012, 2017).
Hedman captained Tre Kronor during the 4 Nations Face-Off in February 2025. The Lightning captain also wore an A during the 2017 World Cup and in the 2024 World Cup. This season, he has 13 assists in 21 games. Hedman has captained the Lightning for the past two seasons and was previously an assistant between 2018-2024.
Karlsson, who scored 35 points (4+31) in 51 games for the Pittsburgh Penguins this season, was the team captain for Sweden in the WC 2024 and an assistant in the 4 Nations and the World Cup 2016. He was the team captain for the Ottawa Senators between 2014 and 2018 and an assistant for the San Jose Sharks between 2019-2023.
– We had Victor as captain in 4 Nations. It would have been easy, but I know what Victor Hedman thinks of ‘Gabe’, I know the respect they have. They had not cared if Erik Karlsson was the team captain and the assistants or not had a letter at all. We’re here for one thing and it’s not about the letter on the shirt, it’s about the logo on the chest.
Tre Kronor starts the tournament on Wednesday night (February 11) against Italy. Finland and Slovakia are also part of Sweden’s group.
