Alex Nylander

2017 World Juniors: Sweden dominates Denmark

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 1:19 p.m. ET

Fansided, Lachlan Irvine/FanSided via Puck Prose

The 2017 World Junior Championships Have Begun. On the Opening Day of the Championship, Sweden Sunk Denmark in a 6-1 Blast to Introduce the Beginning of An Exciting Championship.

Christmas might be over, but for hockey fans, the best present always arrives on Boxing Day.

Welcome to the first day of the 2017 World Junior Championships! Every day we’ll be highlighting the best story lines of the tournament through consistent World Junior updates.

Sweden dismantles Denmark 6-1 in World Juniors opener

Team Sweden got their World Junior Championships off to an excellent start by beating Denmark 6-1 in the tournament’s opening game at the Bell Centre in Montreal. Buffalo Sabres prospect Alex Nylander led the way with two goals while goaltender Felix Sandstrom made 21 saves for the win.

Sweden was the dominant team from start to finish and showed the clear difference in depth between the two teams. Therefore, Sweden had a clear advantage. While Denmark has clearly made huge strides in developing young talent in recent years, including Winnipeg Jets sophomore Nikolaj Ehlers, they’re still a way off from seriously competing for a medal.

A major storyline heading into the game was the debut of 16-year-old Swedish defensemen Rasmus Dahlen, and he did not disappoint. Dahlen put in the Swedes’ fifth goal of the game and notched an assist on captain Joel Eriksson Ek’s tally in the first period. Whether he’ll keep this pace up or not remains to be seen, yet it’s clear why Team Sweden has such high hopes for the young defender.

Sweden Tops

Sweden’s offensive abilities have always been a staple of their national teams. In this game, nine different players factored into the scoring for the Tre Konor. Nylander, Dahlen, Eriksson Ek and forward Carl Grundstrom were the biggest contributors for the Swedes with two points apiece.

Sweden will jump right back on the ice tomorrow to play Switzerland, while Denmark will get a day’s rest before facing the Czech Republic on Dec. 29.

More to come…