Swedish 4 Nations coach Sam Hallam on 'toughest decisions' in building his roster

Sam Hallam was back at his Stockholm hotel Wednesday night, having finished meeting with the Swedish media following the release of his countrys 4 Nations Face-Off roster.

Of course, there had been a lot of focus on who didnt make his team.

Thats a universal response, no matter the hockey country or media.

Advertisement But as he settled into a late-night phone interview with The Athletic , Hallam wanted to focus on who did make the team, sharing his hope that he has found a 23-man roster that can lead Sweden to victory in the international best-on-best event in February.

We tried to find a balance, said Hallam, who had full autonomy on the roster selection.

We have a lot of skilled guys on D but also at forward, but I think we have a team that should be able to handle every situation.

We have good speed up front.

And I think we have some good size and defensive edge.

I also think at the moment we have three goalies where its a real competition as to who makes the start.

No kidding.

Filip Gustavsson , Jacob Markstrom and Linus Ullmark are a formidable 1-2-3 punch in goal.

And there has not been any kind of particular order decided on that goalie depth chart.

The next two months of the NHL season will go a long way toward deciding who gets to start against Team Canada at the Bell Centre on Feb.

12.

What we said is that the starting goaltending against Canada is up for grabs, Hallam said.

We cant determine that in late November and early December.

Who is in the best shape late January, early February, is probably going to be who we start.

Its a short tournament.

You have to go with who really is at the top of his game.

Right now, one would imagine that would be Gustavsson for the first-place Minnesota Wild .

But by the time February rolls around, it wouldnt surprise me if its the veteran Markstrom who gets that starters call.

But there is no wrong answer with all three choices.

And I mean, they were the clear and easy three picks.

It got a little more complicated at forward and defense, where good players were forcibly passed over.

I asked Hallam which decision was the hardest for him: picking the last forward or the last defenseman? Advertisement They were both difficult, final decisions.

But up front, he specifically mentioned taking guys like Viktor Arvidsson and Gustav Nyquist as very calculated decisions to round out his forward group.

They both have huge experience, speed and grit, but they both have showed that they can play higher up in the lineup, so thats also something that we value, Hallam said of both players lineup flexibility.

Because changes can come quickly.

But those were the toughest decisions, the ones we discussed the most, he added, regarding the final few forward spots.

There was never going to be a bad call on defense.

Just difficult choices among very good players.

GO DEEPER LeBrun: How is Sweden shaping up for 4 Nations? Catching up with coach Sam Hallam With Gustav Forsling , Victor Hedman and Erik Karlsson already having been named to the team in June, there were only four slots left, and Hallam ultimately went with Mattias Ekholm , Rasmus Andersson , Rasmus Dahlin and Jonas Brodin .

That meant leaving off Hampus Lindholm , Adam Larsson , Oliver Ekman-Larsson , Simon Edvinsson and Philip Broberg , among others.

Leaving off Lindholm, for me, was the biggest snub.

Again, the final defense decisions were going to be hard no matter what.

It is hard, even more on a personal level, Hallam said.

I know how much all the players want to be in this.

I think some players that arent in our lineup at the moment think and I hope that they feel they should be on it.

Because theyre competitive.

We just tried to make the best possible decisions for the team.

We talked to a couple of the guys that were just on the other, wrong, side of it and told them, Thats the situation right now, but stay ready.

Something can happen.

Were still following you closely.' And thats just it.

There may be injuries before February.

Forwards such as William Eklund and Mikael Backlund could get the call if someones injured up front.

Same for Lindholm, Ekman-Larsson and Larsson depending on a blue-line injury.

Theyre still in the mix despite not being named Wednesday.

Advertisement Bigger picture, theres the Olympics in Milan, Italy, just 14 months away.

All the bubble players remain on that radar, too.

That was all part of the messaging to those players this week.

Absolutely, Hallam said.

Now were focused on 4 Nations, but we also have the (IIHF) World Championship coming up in Stockholm (in May).

Thats also a huge thing.

You dont get to play a World Championship at home that many times.

And of course we have the Olympics in Milan.

Right now its about 4 Nations and preparing to perform our best there.

And afterward, its going to be analyzed.

Thats what is encouraging for the guys that just missed out is that theres something more coming up and if they perform and be the best they can be, they can maybe be on that list instead.

Thats true for any bubble player who missed the 4 Nations rosters this week.

The bigger stage comes in Milan in February 26.

But deep down, every player who missed the cut also knows this: The opportunity to shine at the 4 Nations gives the chosen players an inside track on the Olympics.

The Swedes last won a best-on-best event in Torino, Italy, in 2006.

It was a memorable gold-medal performance by a generational group of players led by Hockey Hall of Famers Nicklas Lidstrom, Peter Forsberg, Mats Sundin and Daniel Alfredsson.

There are some who see the 4 Nations roster announced this week as being the most talented squad assembled since then.

Im not convinced the Swedes are as talented offensively down the middle as Team USA or Team Canada and wonder how that may affect their ability to produce enough offense.

But theyve got the blue line and goaltending to stifle anyone.

Theres absolutely a path for Sweden to win it all in Montreal and Boston come February.

GO DEEPER Sweden announces roster for 4 Nations: Snubs, surprises and expectations (Photos of Hampus Lindholm and Mikael Backlund: Michael Reaves and Minas Panagiotakis / Getty Images).

This article has been shared from the original article on theathleticuk, here is the link to the original article:

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