\u201cI think just his overall season has been really good for Mika, and for us, he\u2019s so valuable,\u201d Sweden head coach Sam Hallam said after practice Tuesday. \u201cWe can play him up the middle. We can play him on the wing. We can play him power play, PK. He\u2019s just that utility tool with a really smart hockey mind. He\u2019s going to be an important player for us. You\u2019re going to see that [Wednesday against Italy].\u201d<\/p>\n
Sweden is the biggest threat to spoil the coveted \u2014 but in no way guaranteed \u2014 Canada-USA gold medal matchup. Zibanejad is going to play a multi-faceted role that will put him in a position to be a real difference maker for his country.<\/p>\n
If Zibanejad can remain at the level he\u2019s operated at with the Rangers this season, the Swedes will be a tough team to beat.<\/p>\n
![\"New](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/skates-ice-third-period-madison-117661878.jpg\")
New York Rangers center Mika Zibanejad (93) skates down ice in the third period at Madison Square Garden, Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025, in New York, NY. Corey Sipkin for the NY POST<\/p>\n
If the joy that so clearly runs through Zibanejad in this environment can raise his game, the Swedish men\u2019s national team could reach Olympic glory for just the third time in history.<\/p>\n
Paired on the third line next to Elias Pettersson and Rickard Rakell, Zibanejad also skated on Sweden\u2019s power-play unit with Rakell, Erik Karlsson, Jesper Bratt and Gabriel Landeskog during practice Tuesday at Santagiulia Arena.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s such a smart player,\u201d Rakell said. \u201cHe can do it all. He\u2019s responsible defensively, great at faceoffs, got a great shot and really detailed with a lot of faceoff plays and ideas to try to create something every shift. I\u2019m really excited to play with him. I\u2019ve been playing with him for quite a few tournaments before, so we should know each other pretty good out there. I think we can use that to our advantage.\u201d<\/p>\n
Zibanejad has made an impact on Sweden at nearly every international level.<\/p>\n
2026 WINTER OLYMPICS<\/p>\n
When he was 18 at the 2012 World Junior Championship, Zibanejad scored the golden goal in overtime to defeat the Russians and secure Sweden\u2019s first gold at the tournament since 1981. Apparently, he told his teammate, Jeremy Boyce-Rotevall, he was going to do so.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe came in on the breakaway and I knew he was going to score,\u201d Boyce-Rotevall said at the time, per Sportsnet. \u201cHe told me this morning he was going to finish this game off.\u201d<\/p>\n
With six goals and five assists at the 2018 IIHF World Championship, Zibanejad finished among the top 10 point leaders and tied for the fourth-most tallies. Between the COVID-19 pandemic and a couple of long Rangers playoff runs, that 2018 tournament was the last time Zibanejad represented Sweden before 4 Nations.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
The NHL\u2019s first taste of international play in more than a decade couldn\u2019t have come at a better time for Zibanejad, who was among the first six players named to Sweden\u2019s roster. He looked like a weight was lifted off his shoulders<\/a> the moment he arrived in Montreal for the start of the tournament.<\/p>\n To put it into perspective, Zibanejad collected 37 points (11 goals, 26 assists) through the first 54 games for the Rangers before 4 Nations. Afterward? He scored nine goals and 16 assists for 25 points in his final 27 games of the season.<\/p>\n The difference in Zibanejad was apparent in more ways than one after he finished in third place with his fellow NHL Swedes.<\/p>\n
![\"Mika](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/GettyImages-2216315422.jpg\")
Mika Zibanejad of Sweden scores 6-2 during the 2025 Ice Hockey World Championship Bronze Match. Getty Images<\/p>\n