A little bit of salt in the wounds for Edmonton Oilers fans.

On Friday, the Swedish Ice Hockey Federation revealed its men’s roster for the 2026 Winter Olympics. Along with notable names like Victor Hedman, Elias Pettersson, and Lucas Raymond, one player who will be making his Olympic debut will be St. Louis Blues defenceman Philip Broberg, instead of Oilers blueliner Mattias Ekholm.

The decision comes a little over a year since the Oilers infamously let the Blues sign then-restricted free agents Broberg and Dylan Holloway. Broberg has seen elevated playing time over the past season or so, but hasn’t been tearing things up. The 24-year-old has scored just 13 points in 41 games this season, this after a 29-point campaign in 2024-25. This season, Ekholm has notched three goals and 14 assists for 17 points in 41 games.

For many years, Ekholm had been a mainstay on the Swedish roster, representing his country at various international events for many years. Ekholm was also part of the team that competed at the 4 Nations Face-Off last February. The veteran rearguard posted an assist in the three games as Sweden finished third, with its lone win coming against rival Finland.

Ekholm might not have been a lock for Sweden’s Olympic team, but his experience seemed to give him an advantage over Broberg, who has never played for the senior national team. Broberg’s last international experience came at the 2021 IIHF World Junior Championship. Yet, Broberg will bring some youth to a veteran-laden Swedish roster.