Report: Penguins Heading to Sweden Next Season

The Pittsburgh Penguins will return to international hockey with a trip to Sweden during the 2025-26 season.

Mar 15, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender Tristan Jarry (35) and center Sidney Crosby (87) and defenseman Kris Letang (58) celebrate after defeating the New Jersey Devils at PPG Paints Arena. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images / Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

It’s been quite some time since the Pittsburgh Penguins played a game outside of North America, but that should be changing next season. According to Seth Rorabaugh of Trib Live, the Penguins are set to play in Sweden during the 2025-26 season.

The Penguins and NHL are yet to make an official announcement, which would likely include dates and an opponent, but sources confirmed to him the Penguins’ involvement.

To kick off the 2008-09 season, the Penguins played a pair of games in Sweden against the Ottawa Senators. Coming off of a loss in the Stanley Cup Final, the Penguins were viewed as one of the best young teams in the NHL, and would eventually go on to be a powerhouse for the next 15 years.

Entering the 2024-25 season, the Penguins had three high-level Sweden natives on their roster. Future Hall of Famer Erik Karlsson and top goal-scorer Rickard Rakell are still around, but stout defenseman Marcus Pettersson was traded to the Vancouver Canucks.

Karlsson and Rakell both represented Team Sweden at the NHL’s 4 Nations Face-Off.

It’s possible neither Karlsson or Rakell are on the Penguin roster heading into the 2025-26 season as both players saw their name pop up in trade talks ahead of the deadline.

Even if the Penguins don’t have Karlsson or Rakell, they will still have veteran superstars like Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Kris Letang who have all turned themselves into worldwide household names over their careers.

Playing NHL games in international countries has become commonplace in the NHL as they continue to grow the game around the world. Countries like Czechia, Germany, and Finland have all seen NHL teams play games on their soil in recent years.

The NHL is also about to celebrate “Hockey Day in Sweden” from March 21-22. Hockey is one of the most popular sports in Sweden with one of the top international teams according to the IIHF.

As of May 2024, Sweden has the seventh-ranked men’s national ice hockey team, while the women’s team is ranked eighth.

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