Elias Lindholm faced a challenging first season with the Boston Bruins, struggling early as his team missed the playoffs. However, his impressive showing at the recent World Championship offered a hopeful sign, showcasing an Elias Lindholm World Championship performance boost that could translate to a better NHL campaign ahead.
The Swedish forward led the tournament with eight goals and came in second for overall points, finishing just behind Bruins teammate David Pastrnak. His efforts secured him a place on the tournament’s All-Star Team alongside other standouts like Swiss goalie Leonardo Genoni and American defenseman Zach Werenski.
Mixed Emotions Following Sweden’s Bronze Medal Finish
Despite the strong individual performance, Lindholm expressed mixed feelings following Sweden’s bronze medal victory over Denmark. The team’s semifinal loss to the United States weighed heavily on him as he reflected on the tournament.
Maybe you can look back on it later and feel proud, but I would have liked to play in the final.
—Elias Lindholm, Forward
It’s hard to sum it up right now. It feels like there was more to give, but that’s what’s tough about these kinds of tournaments. A lot has to click, and it only takes one game where anything can happen. The United States made it difficult for us, so it ended up being bronze.
—Elias Lindholm, Forward
Lindholm’s Role and Offensive Growth at the Tournament
From a personal standpoint, the tournament was a success for Lindholm, who was Sweden’s leading forward and contributed on both offense and defense. He noted that expectations for his line focused more on defensive duties, but they stepped up with increased offensive opportunities and zone starts.
That’s fun, I guess. We came in expected to be more of a defensive line, but I think we produced well, got bumped up a bit, and received more offensive zone starts. So we proved we’ve got some extra upside.
—Elias Lindholm, Forward
He also highlighted positive chemistry while playing with key teammates like Mikael Backlund, Filip Forsberg, and Emil Heineman.
It was fun playing with ‘Mickis’ (Mikael Backlund) and then rotating with ‘Foppa’ (Filip Forsberg) and ‘Heine’ (Emil Heineman). All in all, I think I’ll look back and be somewhat satisfied, but I would’ve rather scored zero points and stood here with a gold medal.
—Elias Lindholm, Forward
Turning a Difficult NHL Season into Motivation
Lindholm’s standout World Championship performance offers a contrast to his recent NHL season, which was hampered by an unsteady start and injury difficulties. After signing a seven-year contract worth $7.75 million per year with Boston, he recorded 47 points in 82 games but felt the season fell short of expectations.
I had a bit of a rough start to the season with an injury that wasn’t ideal. Then toward the end, I got a great opportunity to play with (Morgan) Geekie and ‘Pasta’ (Pastrnak), and we were probably one of the best lines — if not the best — in the entire league. So I came here with good confidence.
—Elias Lindholm, Forward
A lot of people have opinions when you sign contracts that big, so it’s nice to show that there’s still something there.
—Elias Lindholm, Forward
Focused on Carrying Momentum Into the Next Season
Facing pressure from high expectations and public scrutiny, Lindholm reflected on how his priorities have shifted now that he has a family, emphasizing a balanced approach to hockey.
A bit of both. Now that I have a family, it’s just hockey. But of course, you always want to deliver when you sign big contracts.
—Elias Lindholm, Forward
Looking ahead, Lindholm is determined to use his recent boost in confidence to improve going forward, especially as the Bruins prepare for the next season under potential coaching changes.
We’ll see what happens there with the coaching situation and everything. But I’ll go in with good confidence. I’ll try to train hard this summer and help the team go deeper than we did this year.
—Elias Lindholm, Forward