Ivar Stenberg
Ivar Stenberg is a Swedish professional ice hockey player for Frölunda HC of the Swedish Hockey League. He is considered a top prospect eligible for the 2026 NHL entry draft.
Playing career
Stenberg started playing ice hockey for his hometown team Stenungsund Stingers when he was four years old. He played above his age group alongside his older brother Otto, during their youth careers, the brothers were part of Stenungsund's teams that won Göteborgs-Posten's annual youth tournament, the GP‑Pucken—one of Sweden’s largest competitions for players aged nine to twelve—on all four occasions in which they participatedAt age 13 he represented Bohuslän/Dalsland in the 2021 TV-pucken—a Swedish national under–16 ice hockey tournament for district teams—recording one assist in five games. He followed in his older brother Otto's footsteps and joined Frölunda HC to play for their junior academy for the 2021–22 season. Playing for the under–16 team he recorded eleven goals and 21 assists for 32 points in 21 games, and five goals and one assist in six games of the under–16 Swedish Championship.
He captained Gothenburg at the 2022 TV-pucken, recording four goals and four assists in eight games. He recorded nine goals and 23 assists for a total of 32 points in twelve games with Frölunda's under–16 team during the 2022–23 season, and one goal and four assists in two games of the qualifications for the under–16 Swedish Championship, and one goal and two assists in three games of the Championships. During the season he also made his debut with the under–18 team in the J18 Region, recording six goals and eleven assist in twelve games, and three goals and five assist in 14 games of the J18 Nationell—a continuation series of J18 Region with the five best teams from each division qualified. He recorded no points in five games of the under–18 Swedish Championship playoffs.
Stenberg was named alternate captain of Frölunda's under–18 team for the 2023–24 season, he recorded five goals and 27 assists for a total of 32 points in 18 games of the J18 Region, and 18 goals and twelve assists for a total of 30 points in 13 games of the J18 Nationell. In the under–18 Swedish Championships Stenberg recorded five goals and eight assists for a total of 13 points in five games. During the season he made his debut with the under–20 team, recording three goals and five assists in nine games of the J20 Nationell, and two assists in six games of the under–20 Swedish Championships.
The following year Stenberg played three games in the J18 Region, recording one goal and seven assists, and only one game in J18 Nationell where he scored one goal and five assists. During the autumn he spent the majority of the time in the J20 Nationell where he recorded 13 goals and 15 assists in 11 games, before making his professional debut for Frölunda HC in the Swedish Hockey League at 17 years old on 12 October 2024 in a game against Linköping HC.
International play
On 24 October 2023, Stenberg was named to Sweden's roster for the 2023 World U-17 Hockey Challenge. During the tournament he led the team in scoring with seven goals and three assists in seven games and won a bronze medal. His seven goals tied for the tournament lead. During a preliminary round game against Canada Red, he scored four goals and one assist.On 30 July 2024, Stenberg was named to Sweden's roster for the 2024 Hlinka Gretzky Cup. During a preliminary round game against Switzerland he scored four goals and three assists. He finished the tournament with four goals and six assists in five games and won a bronze medal.
Stenberg represented Sweden at the 2024 World Junior A Challenge where he led the tournament in scoring with seven goals and four assists in five games and won a silver medal.
In December 2025, he was selected to represent Sweden men's national [junior ice hockey team|Sweden] at the 2026 World [Junior Ice Hockey Championships]. He led the team in scoring with four goals and six assists in seven games and won a gold medal. During the gold medal game against Czechia he scored one goal and two assists to help Sweden win their first gold medal at the IIHF World Junior Championship since 2012 World Junior [Ice Hockey Championships|2012].