Detroit Red Wings forward Lucas Raymond is such an obvious choice for Sweden's Olympic team he was among the first six players named to the preliminary roster. Announced in the early morning hours of Monday, June 16, by Sweden's official ice hockey social media account, Raymond was named along with forwards Gabriel Landeskog (Colorado Avalanche), Michael Nylander (Toronto Maple Leafs) and Adrian Kempe (Los Angeles Kings) and defensemen Rasmus Dahlin (Buffalo Sabres) and Victor Hedman (Tampa Bay Lightning). The remainder of the roster will be announced later this year. Raymond, 23, has more than lived up to being the No. 4 overall pick in 2020, quickly establishing himself as a star player for the Wings. In four seasons, he has racked up 98 goals and 156 assists in 320 games, posting a career-high 80 points in 2024-25. Raymond has represented Sweden at the past three World Championships. Most recently at the 2025 event in May, he posted five goals and six assists in 10 games to lead Sweden to a bronze medal. This is the first time NHL players will participate in the Olympics since 2014. The NHL did not send its players to the 2018 Games in Pyeongchang County, South Korea because of a logistics and cost dispute with the International Olympic Committee. The NHL pulled out of the 2022 Games in Beijing because of disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The 2026 Games are scheduled to be held Feb. 6-22 in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy. Italy was the site of Sweden's last Olympic gold medal, at the 2006 Games in Turin, where former Wings great Nicklas Lidstrom scored the winning goal in the gold medal game against Finland. Contact Helene St. James at hstjames@freepress.com. Follow her on X @helenestjames. Read more on the Detroit Red Wings and sign up for our Red Wings newsletter. Her latest book, “The Franchise: Detroit Red Wings, A Curated History of the Red Wings,” was released October 2024. Her books, “On the Clock: Behind the Scenes with the Detroit Red Wings at the NHL Draft,” and “The Big 50: The Men and Moments that made the Detroit Red Wings” are available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Triumph Books. Personalized copies available via her e-mail.