Grand Forks – – Alex Nylander has star power. He has a certain flair when he carries the puck down the ice. He is an important player in Sweden’s system and yet if he didn’t get a game-tying goal with 19 tics left on the game clock Latvia would have scored a big upset. Instead Sweden squeaked out a 4-3 OT win.

“I was just hoping the pass would get through to me and get the puck to the net,” said Nylander. “They blocked a lot of shots and prevented a lot of shots from getting to the net.”

“We said to the team yesterday to feel confident. If we get in this position. We have to think we can come back,” said Timothy Liljegren. “We have a system that we play. Today it worked out.

“I play the point with my home team so I feel confident about it. Today it didn’t really work out. Latvia did a good job blocking shots.”

Liljegren is a 99 birthdate and a shoe in to be a very high pick in the 2017 NHL Draft. He has great poise and speed already. His shot is solid and he’s very fast. He’s first to lose pucks and to save icing situations.

Nylander has a great ability to rush end-to-end. His vision is exceptional but shot blocking did throw off his game a bit.

“This hasn’t been that much of an adjustment for me,” Nylander said comparing it to the OHL.

Barring injury, both of these players are NHL locks. It’s just a matter of time. As far as down the road, Team Sweden is certainly going to be a power house in a lot of tournaments.