Sweden coach Monten eyes 'last dance' at 2022 World Junior Championship

Tomas Monten is looking forward to getting one final shot at winning a championship in his sixth attempt as Sweden coach at the 2022 IIHF World Junior Championship.

"When we left Red Deer, Alberta, last December 30, I thought that was it ... I thought we had a good enough team to be able to win it but were not going to get that chance," Monten said. "This is the last dance, the last shot for me."
The 2022 WJC will be held Aug. 9-20 in Edmonton. The tournament originally was scheduled for Dec. 26-Jan. 5 but was postponed Dec. 29 because of concerns surrounding the coronavirus.
At the time the tournament was postponed, Sweden had two wins in two games, the highest scoring efficiency (17.65 shooting percentage) and best goalie save percentage (.961).
Sweden will join the United States, Germany, Switzerland and Austria in preliminary-round play in Group B; Canada, Finland, Czechia, Slovakia and Latvia will play in Group A.
Monten said he expects Sweden to remain in the hunt for its first title since 2012. It has finished second 11 times, including 2018 after a 3-1 loss to Canada in the final. Missing from the August roster after playing a big role in December are top-line forwards William Eklund (San Jose Sharks) and Alexander Holtz (New Jersey Devils), and defensemen Mattias Havelid (Sharks) and Joel Nystrom (Carolina Hurricanes).
"I think the most important part is that we have a leadership group, we have the good goalies and I still think we're really solid on defense," Monten said. "We need to be a quick team. A team that plays fast and simple and we need to create a lot of offense from our back end."
The 44-year-old is behind the Sweden bench at the World Juniors for an eighth straight year. He was an assistant for Rikard Gronborg in 2014 and 2015 before taking over in 2017. He has coached many players at the event now starring in the NHL, including Holtz, Elias Pettersson (Vancouver Canucks), Lucas Raymond (Detroit Red Wings), and Rasmus Dahlin (Buffalo Sabres).
Monten discussed the WJC, Dahlin, and what the future holds for him with NHL.com.

Who will replace forwards Eklund and Holtz and defensemen Havelid and Nystrom?
"Anton Olsson (Nashville Predators) and Ludvig Jansson (Florida Panthers) are here on defense. Olsson has developed nicely since December. Jansson was injured and missed a few international events so I think he would have been picked earlier than the fourth round (in the 2022 NHL Draft) had he played, so Florida hit it big there. The top defensive pair could be Simon Edvinsson (Detroit Red Wings) at left point and Helge Grans (Los Angeles Kings) on the right. You can leave them out there if you have the puck or don't have the puck. At forward, Jonathan Lekkerimaki (Vancouver Canucks) and Liam Ohgren (Minnesota Wild) are in. Also, forward Fabian Lysell (Boston Bruins) didn't play a game for us in December when he got sick prior to the tournament, so he's another guy we expect to contribute and score points. Our top line could consist of either Daniel Ljungman (Dallas Stars) or Theodor Niederbach (Red Wings) at center, with Oskar Olausson (Colorado Avalanche) and Lysell (Bruins)."
How impressed are you with your goalies Jesper Wallstedt (Minnesota Wild), Calle Clang (Anaheim Ducks) and Carl Lindbom (Vegas Golden Knights)?
"I think our goaltending is the best we've had since I've been coach. Wallstedt got both starts last year when Clang had some injury problems. But [Clang] is back on track and not far behind. We have three solid guys we can go to; they round out the defensive corps from their position and talk a lot. They're good at playing the puck. Our team knows that if they have a good day, they can shut the door on any team we play."
What is your development philosophy?
"I think, especially with the Sweden National Team, that because we have so short amount of time, I always tell myself that if I'm choosing between two players, the most important thing to ask is 'How am I going to use this player?' 'What kind of role does he play, and can he do that?' I usually call the player before we announce the team and explain the role they will play. As an example, Lekkerimaki scored some goals with Djurgardens while on the left side of the power play ... he has a good one-timer. So, if I'm going to pick him and give him a power-play spot, I'm not going to put him net-front, because I feel that if they're going to succeed, they need to play where they're used to playing."
What can Sabres fans expect from defenseman Rasmus Dahlin in his fifth NHL season?
"Rasmus has always been skilled. He played World Juniors four years younger than most and played in the Swedish Hockey League a lot younger than everyone and then went straight to the NHL. I'm not going to say that set him back a little bit, but he's always had to face adversity because he was always put to a tougher test at each level. I think that's what made him so good and the No. 1 pick (in the 2018 NHL Draft). I think he's going to be better this year and even better the next. Just my coaching opinion, but I think you shouldn't put too much focus on producing points, producing goals. I felt the same with Victor Hedman (Tampa Bay Lightning) coming over. Everyone thought, 'OK, he's going to put up 90 points.' Yeah, maybe. But I think the most important thing is how many times he's going to help your team win. I think Rasmus has that in him. He has that leadership, competitiveness and wants to win. Being a good team player will take Rasmus and the Sabres to the next level."
What are you hoping to do after coaching your final game for Sweden at the WJC in August?
"I have incredible memories as coach of the national junior team, but my next goal is to try to coach somewhere outside of Sweden if possible. I just feel it would be a new adventure, a new challenge. I've had some interviews with some teams in Europe and some teams in North America, as well. If an opportunity opens up in the U.S. or Canada, at any level, that would be a really fun challenge. I'm open to coaching and scouting, but if I had to choose, I'd want to coach. The national team is a great job, but the one thing that you miss is going to the rink every day, being on the ice, being with the players and playing games three or four times a week."
Photos: Peter Ekholm, IIHF