Maple Leafs prospect earns World Junior spot with Team Sweden
Photo credit: Steven Ellis - Daily Faceoff
Team Sweden has officially named Maple Leafs defensive prospect Victor Johansson to their World Junior squad for the 2025-26 tournament set to take place starting on Boxing Day.
For Maple Leafs fans, the main storyline is that 2024 fourth-round pick Victor Johansson will be right in the middle of it for Sweden.
As is the yearly tradition, the World Junior Championships are going to be taking place starting on Dec. 26th as they celebrate showcasing the world's best young talent, this time taking place in St. Paul, Minnesota.
All eyes are going to be on Team Canada and Team USA as they continue their historic rivalry, while teams like Latvia, Switzerland, and Denmark are all trying to play spoiler to some of the top international teams.
Where this Maple Leafs prospect fits in Team Sweden's World Junior lineup
One team who is going to have a lot of eyes on them is Team Sweden, and they just added a very exciting Toronto Maple Leafs prospect to their World Juniors squad.
Sweden unveiled their roster for the 2025-26 tournament with Victor Johansson being a part of the festivities.
Head coach Magnus Havelid released a statement regarding the decisions, and seems poised to give Canada and the US a run for their money.
Havelid stated:
We dream of winning gold and aim to challenge the United States and Canada, who have to be considered the favorites in the tournament. We need to grow together as a really strong team and group, and that's the goal for this training camp.
If we succeed with that, we know we have several game-breakers on this team, and that can take us a long way.
If we succeed with that, we know we have several game-breakers on this team, and that can take us a long way.
Johansson has the tools to be one of those game-breakers, as he's going to give the team a lot of offensive talent on the back end, plus his familiarity already with some of his teammates could lead to some great results.
The young defenseman sounded absolutely thrilled when he found out he was making the team.
Johansson stated:
I found out about it when I watched the live broadcast actually. It was quite nervous, I didn't dare to take anything out in advance. Sweden is tipped to have good medal chances with, among others, the super talents Ivar Stenberg and Anton Frondell at the forefront.
You enter a World Cup to win gold, that's what it is. You just have to believe in it and give it your all until the very end, it's going to be crazy fun. (Translated from Falukuriren.se' article)
You enter a World Cup to win gold, that's what it is. You just have to believe in it and give it your all until the very end, it's going to be crazy fun. (Translated from Falukuriren.se' article)
Right now he's on loan from Leksands IF of the SHL, playing for IK Oskarshamn; the second-highest league in Sweden. He's resisted four points in 10 games so far for Oskarshamn.
It's a real test for Johansson, as early scouting reports questioned his size and consistency, but has since added on a bunch of weight while also working on his other medical issues.
he could end up competing for top power play minutes, and will be a serious top-four consideration for Havelid.
How a strong World Juniors could change his timeline with the Maple Leafs
Well, he's got his work cut out for him, but if Johansson can prove to the Maple Leafs they were right to take a flier on him; Toronto selected Johansson 120th overall in the 2024 NHL Draft.
The Leafs already lack a strong prospect pool on the backend, with their puck-moving defenseman being a bit scarce, so if he can translate some great transition offense and puck-moving, it might accelerate his climb up the rankings.
There's a good chance that he will continue to keep getting looks in training camp, though with how the Maple Leafs are built he may be too light for them as it stands.
If he pops at this tournament, don't be surprised if he jumps a tier on the Maple Leafs' internal depth chart heading into next year's camp.
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