![\"Sweden](\"https:\/\/cdn.forumcomm.com\/dims4\/default\/01577ca\/2147483647\/strip\/true\/crop\/3000x2000+0+0\/resize\/840x560!\/quality\/90\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fforum-communications-production-web.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F7d%2F13%2F2a17a325425db56e73c0e8e25d56%2F122325-sweden-switzerland-23548-copy.jpg\")
<\/p>\n\u2018Twas the night before Christmas (Eve)<\/p>\n
And all through the Rec Center<\/p>\n
Hockey fans were stirring<\/p>\n
In awe of Ivar Stenberg<\/p>\n
\u2022 \u2022 \u2022<\/p>\n
It was nearly six months ago today that hockey fans in southeastern Minnesota were treated to a rarity. As part of the lead-up to the 2026 IIHF World Junior Championships in the Twin Cities, two games in the Pre-Tournament Series were held at the Rochester Recreation Center.<\/p>\n
Some of the best U20 players in the world were in Rochester for a brief time.<\/p>\n
On Dec. 23, the matchup featured Team Switzerland \u2014 which took over the lower level of the Rec Center for nearly 10 days, holding its pre-WJC camp there \u2014 against Team Sweden, which won the gold medal two weeks later at Grand Casino Arena in St. Paul.<\/p>\n
Sweden\u2019s roster \u2014 and its lineup in Rochester \u2014 featured 18 players who had already been drafted by NHL organizations. But it was one of the team\u2019s eight undrafted players who routinely caught the eyes of spectators that night.<\/p>\n
Ivar Stenberg, an 18-year-old left-shot winger, had fans\u2019 attention locked on the ice whenever he was on it, from the time warmups started through the final buzzer. Listed that night at 5-feet-9, 181 pounds (he measured 5-11, 183 at the NHL Scouting Combine two weeks ago), Stenberg didn\u2019t disappoint.<\/p>\n
The third-youngest player on the Swedish roster, he had four goals and six assists across seven games at the WJC to help his country win gold for the first time since 2012.<\/p>\n
Later this week, Stenberg\u2019s name will most likely be among the first five called at the 2026 NHL Draft. Some outlets project him to be selected as early as No. 2 overall by the San Jose Sharks (Penn State forward Gavin McKenna is projected as a near-consensus No. 1 overall pick, though it\u2019s possible the Toronto Maple Leafs could throw a curveball and select Stenberg). Nearly every draft source has Stenberg projected in the top five overall, never falling past the Chicago Blackhawks at No. 4.<\/p>\n
He\u2019s the best of a group of players who are likely to be drafted this week who appeared in one or both of the WJC Pre-Tournament games at the Rec Center in December. Here\u2019s a look at those players and where they could be selected in next week\u2019s Draft, at the KeyBank Center in Buffalo, N.Y. Round 1 will take place on Friday, June 26, on ESPN. Rounds 2-7 are set for Saturday, June 27, on ESPN+ and NHL Network.<\/p>\n
\u2022 F Ivar Stenberg (5-11, 183, age 18): The No. 1-ranked International skater by NHL Central Scouting, Stenberg is ranked No. 1, 2 or 3 overall by all of the top draft sources. Tony Ferrari of The Hockey News, and Jason Bukala from Canada\u2019s SportsNet, have Stenberg ranked No. 1 overall. San Jose, which holds the No. 2 overall pick, made a splash last Wednesday, when it traded for 26-year-old right-handed defenseman Michael Kesselring. The Sharks only had to swap late-first round picks to make the deal, sending pick No. 20 to Buffalo and receiving Kesselring and pick No. 27 in return. Why does that matter to Stenberg? Because the Sharks are rumored to be high on several of the top defensemen in the Draft \u2014 including Michigan State commit Chase Reid, and North Dakota\u2019s Keaton Verhoeff and Carson Carels.<\/p>\n
Stenberg, a left-shot winger, may ultimately prove to be the best player in this draft. He had four goals and 10 points in seven games during Sweden\u2019s run to the WJC gold medal. He also had a sensational season in the SHL, Sweden\u2019s top pro league, recording 11 goals and 33 points in 43 games as an 18-year-old. Stenberg thrives as an elite playmaker, with vision and passing ability few players at any level show.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Sweden’s Viggo Bjorck (21) skates with the puck ahead of Switzerland’s Mike Aeschlimann (10) during a hockey game as part of the World Juniors Pre-Tournament Series Tuesday, Dec. 23, 2025, at the Rochester Recreation Center.<\/p>\n
Joe Ahlquist \/ Post Bulletin file photo<\/p>\n
\u2022 F Viggo Bjorck (5-9, 180, age 18): The dynamic center\/winger, another potential top-five overall pick, was ranked No. 4 among International skaters by NHL Central Scouting. Something out of his control \u2014 size \u2014 may be the only question with Bjorck. He has produced at every level, including recording three goals and nine points in seven games at the U20 World Juniors in early January, winning a gold medal as a 17-year-old. He also had 15 points in 42 games for Djurgardens of the SHL, Sweden\u2019s best pro league, last season. He is projected to go to Calgary at No. 6 overall by NHL.com\u2019s Mike Morreale and The Athletic\u2019s Corey Pronman, and to Florida at No. 9 overall by NHL.com managing editor Adam Kimelman.<\/p>\n
\u2022 D William Hakansson (6-4\u00bd, 217, age 18): The hulking left-shot blue-liner was ranked No. 12 among International skaters by NHL Central Scouting, and was ranked as a first- or second-round pick by 11 other outlets that cover the NHL Draft. Hakansson had two points and four penalty minutes while playing in all seven games for Sweden at the World Juniors. He also played in 31 games, with eight penalty minutes and a plus-1 plus\/minus rating, for Lulea HF of the SHL, Sweden\u2019s top professional league. In a draft heavy on talented defensemen, The Athletic projects Hakansson to Philadelphia at No. 21 overall, while <\/p>\n
![\"Switzerland](\"https:\/\/cdn.forumcomm.com\/dims4\/default\/99ccb09\/2147483647\/strip\/true\/crop\/3000x2000+0+0\/resize\/840x560!\/quality\/90\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fforum-communications-production-web.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2Ffd%2Fc4%2Ff3125783420ca74adce70a3aeee6%2F121725-switzerland-hockey-practice-22942-copy.jpg\")
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