December 26, 08:14 | Sweden is looking to Forsfjall for a leadership, control role
2033 6th Round Zeb Forsfjall and his Swedish squad take on Slovakia in the tournament opener (9 a.m., NHL Network) from TD Place in Ottawa in Group B action. The 5’9″ shutout center is projected to center Carolina Hurricanes prospect Oskar Vuollet (2024, 5th round) and New Jersey Devils prospect Herman Träff (2024, 3rd round). Kraken Hockey Network Analyst Alison Lukan chatted with Kraken’s Director of Player Development Jeff Tambellini on what to expect from Forsfjall, returning for its second WJC:
“(Forsfjall) will have an elevated role, hopefully, in a third-line control role – something he does extremely well,” Tambellini said. “The penalty kill has always been a very big part of his game, and we think he’ll be asked to be a bit more part of the leadership group by being a returning player. Zeb is another late-round pick that shows he can compete on the world stage and has continued to deliver on the national stage with under-18 teams and World Junior teams; he did Skellefetea and the SHL earlier than we expected, so he has been on a good track, and we think he should be ready for another good tournament.”
