Moments before he met the children from his hometown, Forsberg reflected on what growing up in Sweden as a youth hockey player was like and what this opportunity would have meant to him.

“It means a lot to get the kids out here, especially remembering times we would go on season ending trips to the national team games in this building,” Forsberg said from Avicii Arena. “It was one of the best trips of the year, and being able to give those guys a little bit of that and see what we do on the daily basis with practice and meet the kids is going to be a special moment for sure.”

And that it was.

Forsberg arrived to a room in the arena with cheers and applause from young hockey players and their parents, the chance to meet an NHL superstar something many of them never imagined possible.

The group posed for photos with the Leksand native, and the last few shots came with the young fans holding a finger along their upper-lip to emulate Forsberg’s signature mustache.

For Amanda Osterby, whose husband, Magnus, coaches one of the Leksand youth teams, and her son, 10-year-old Dexter, this day won’t be forgotten anytime soon.

“The excitement has just been incredible,” Osterby said. “This is like a once-in-a-lifetime thing, and only a very few of them got to experience it… It’s been just incredible. Like, they’re so happy. These kids, to have to get to meet Filip is just incredible.”

Osterby, who grew up in Canada, helped Leksand IF work with the NHLPA to put a day like this together. And the end result? A life-changing moment for Forsberg’s hometown.

“For these kids, and the donation the Goals and Dreams Program that the NHLPA has put on, it’s so generous,” Osterby said. “It’s going to change lives for many kids in Leksand who would love the opportunity to play hockey, but can’t because their parents can’t afford it. And to see that Filip and the NHLPA and the NHL are really trying to include so many people, it’s kind of given me a different perspective that I haven’t really seen before.

“It’s huge. It could ultimately determine whether or not the kids want to follow in those footsteps. It’s really inspiring, and I think for the community as a whole, it’s just a wonderful experience.”

Since its inception in 1999, NHLPA Goals & Dreams has donated more than $300,000 in equipment donations to 20 youth hockey organizations across Sweden. NHL Street Hockey was first introduced in Sweden in 2024 and will expand into select Swedish markets as part of physical education programs during the 2025-26 season, providing equipment and instruction to schools across the country.