The Detroit Red Wings have watched one of their rising stars shine on hockey’s biggest stage. Lucas Raymond has emerged as Sweden’s top offensive threat at the Olympics, leading the team in scoring through three preliminary games.
The Associated Press reports that only Canada’s Connor McDavid and Slovakia’s Juraj Slafkovsky have more points than the 23-year-old forward.
Raymond tallied five points (one goal, four assists) in three games. That’s actually better than his point-per-game pace with Detroit this season.
“He’s a very talented player — very good, very skilled,” Sweden teammate Adrian Kempe said. “He plays hard, and obviously we saw some of that today. He’s been great. He’s one of our best players.”
The Red Wings’ fourth-year player has done more than just put up numbers.
Veteran defenseman Victor Hedman said Raymond “put this team on his back” at times. The young forward has been winning puck battles and creating plays across all three zones.
But Raymond’s Olympics haven’t been perfect.
He took an ill-timed slashing penalty in the final minutes against Slovakia. The penalty led to a costly goal that changed everything for Sweden’s tournament seeding.
The goal dropped Sweden from third seed to seventh. Instead of heading straight to the quarterfinals, they’ll now play an extra qualification game Tuesday just to advance.
“We all saw that penalty in the end,” coach Sam Hallam said. “He has to own it. We support him. We do things together as a team. We learn from it. I’m pretty sure he’s going to be fired up for the next game.”
Sweden’s Rocky Road
Sweden’s preliminary round didn’t go according to plan. They struggled early against host Italy, then lost to archrival Finland.
Their best performance came against Slovakia until Raymond’s penalty shifted momentum. Dalibor Dvorsky scored on the resulting power play, cutting Sweden’s lead from 5-2 to 5-3.
Sweden still won 5-3. But the late goal changed the group standings and dropped them into a much tougher bracket position.
“You never want to put the guys in a spot like that, but it is what it is,” Raymond said. “We’ll move on and get ready for the next game.”
Future Olympic Star
While veterans like Hedman and captain Gabriel Landeskog might be playing their final Olympics, Raymond’s tournament is likely the first of several appearances.
The NHL has already agreed to participate in the 2030 Olympics in the French Alps.
At 23, Raymond has plenty of time to build on this experience.
“I’ve felt better game by game,” Raymond said. “Coming into a tournament, you want to perform. You want to play well for your team, and you want to be a good teammate. I think that’s our entire team’s mindset coming in, and we’re going to keep doing it that way.”
Milan has been a showcase for the Red Wings forward’s continued development.
Now he’ll get a chance for redemption in Tuesday’s qualification playoff. Sweden needs a win just to reach the quarterfinals, and Raymond will be looking to help put his team back on track.
AP Winter Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics
