BODIN: Sweden is Forced to Play Waiting Game Ahead of World Juniors

STOCKHOLM, Sweden — The clock is ticking.

When Swedish head coach Tomas Montén presented his preliminary roster for the upcoming World Juniors in the Czech Republic, there were some big names missing.

No Adam Boqvist.

No Rasmus Sandin.

No David Gustafsson.

And no Victor Söderström.

The first three named above are all playing professionally in North America. Boqvist and Sandin in the AHL, Gustafsson in the NHL. That means their respective NHL team will decide the fate of the players. That’s why Montén has chosen to buy himself some time by leaving three open spots on the roster. Two for defencemen, one for a forward

”I have asked the teams the question, and they have said ’we’ll wait and see’,” Montén said during the press conference where he unveiled his team in Stockholm on Wednesday. ”I