Mar 23, 2025; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Emil Lilleberg (78) skates back to the bench after serving a minor penalty for boarding Vegas Golden Knights center Tomas Hertl (48) during the third period at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images
Lightning defenseman Emil Lilleberg will fill in as captain of Team Norway on Wednesday for the 2025 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship. Lilleberg stepped into the role after original captain, Thomas Berg-Paulsen was sidelined due to injury.
The 23-year old blue liner has been a consistent presence on the national team, participating in multiple World Championships, including the 2021, 2022, and 2023 tournaments. He has also previously captained Norway’s U18 team in 2019 and U20 team in 2020.
Lilleberg logged 19 points for the Lightning in the 2024-25 season. His 113 hits are fourth-most on the Lightning this season. With 24 career NHL points, he’s tied with Patrick Thoresen for the third-most points by a Norwegian-born player in NHL history.