ANAHEIM, Calif. – The Anaheim Ducks’ February plane manifest to Milan added two new passengers, as forwards Leo Carlsson and Mikael Granlund were officially named to the Sweden and Finland Olympic rosters, respectively, on Friday.
Carlsson, who turned 21 years old just one week ago, will skate in his first Winter Games, and Granlund, 33, will play in his second Olympics, after representing Finland to a bronze medal at the 2014 Sochi Olympics–the last time NHL players competed on the biggest international stage.
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“It’s just a different, different atmosphere,” Granlund said. “Being in a village, seeing all the other athletes. It’s kind of like, almost like sports at its purest.”
The two will join their two Czech teammates Radko Gudas and Lukáš Dostál at the Winter Olympics, along with Ducks prospect Damian Clara of host Italy, who were each among the preliminary six names selected for their respective countries last summer. It will also be the second Games for Gudas.
Carlsson said he got the Olympic call about a month ago, but that hasn’t made the excitement fade. He has worn the Tre Kronor previously at the World Junior Championships and World Championships and got a small taste of best-on-best international hockey at the 4 Nations Face-Off last February.
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“It’s just the biggest sports event in the world,” Carlsson said. “I haven’t really thought about it yet that much, like how cool it is. Like I said, it’s going to for real. It’s something that I’m going to, you know, feel when I get over there. Just super, super excited to be there.”
The Karlstad native will go from the extra forward and just one game played at the 4 Nations to possibly being Sweden’s No. 1 center in just under 12 months. Carlsson acknowledged he will certainly be relied upon offensively for his nation, as he leads all Swedish NHLers in goals (17) and is fourth in assists (25) and second in points (42).
“It’s just going to be a bit more fun to play all the games, hopefully,” Carlsson said. “Something that I didn’t think of at the 4 Nations, that I was going to play in the Olympics, but it went by fast, for sure.”
#64 C Mikael Granlund of the Anaheim Ducks skates with the puck during an NHL game against the Chicago Blackhawks on December 7, 2025 in Anaheim, CA.
Darwin Walker – The Sporting Tribune
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#64 C Mikael Granlund of the Anaheim Ducks skates with the puck during an NHL game against the Chicago Blackhawks on December 7, 2025 in Anaheim, CA.
Granlund said he also knew of his Finland selection for a while before Friday’s announcement, but the Oulu native is never disappointed to don the lion for his home Suomi.
“It’s awesome,” Granlund said. “Obviously, I’m always excited to play for the national team and have an experience from the Olympics and it’s really unique. It’s gonna be one of the funnest tournaments you can play at.”
Granlund will also have a bit more responsibility at the center position, as Finland will be without captain Aleksander Barkov. The Stanley Cup champion Florida Panther has been and will be out for the season with a torn ACL and MCL.
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While Granlund has dealt with his own lower-body injury, he is seventh among Finnish NHLers in points per game (0.68). In 22 games for Anaheim, he has seven goals and eight assists, including a four-game goal streak last month.
Sweden and Finland are longtime international rivals, as the Nordic countries share a border and a passion for the sport. The two countries are slotted into the same group in Milan, which will make an interesting month of lead-up for Carlsson and Granlund, who like their countries, share a border as neighbors in the Honda Center locker room.
“He’s a hard guy to trash talk. Real nice and calm,” Carlsson said. “He’s such a great guy. So, no chirp yet.”
“Looking forward to those games,” Granlund said. “That’s all I’m gonna say.”
The Olympic men’s hockey tournament opens in Milan on Feb. 11, and Sweden and Finland square off on Feb. 13.
