After World Junior gold, Jets’ Sascha Boumedienne has sights set on World Championship
This article originally appeared on hockeysverige.se and has been translated from Swedish to English.
When Sweden announced its roster for the camp ahead of this year’s IIHF World Championship, six players from the gold-winning WJC team were included. One of the more unexpected names to earn a spot on the senior national team is 19-year-old Sascha Boumedienne, son of Sweden’s general manager Josef Boumedienne.
Boumedienne repaid that confidence, recording two goals and an assist in Sweden’s 8–1 win over Switzerland last week. He was also named Sweden’s player of the game after his performance.
The Winnipeg Jets prospect plays college hockey in the NCAA, and it is highly unusual for a men’s college player to be selected for Tre Kronor. He now shares how he reacted when he received the call.
“I didn’t really expect to be playing here. It came as a bit of a shock when Sam (Hallam, Sweden’s head coach) called and told me. I was just incredibly happy and tried to prepare as best as I could,” he says.
Boumedienne was a key defenseman for Sweden’s World Junior gold-winning team. He averaged 22:13 of ice time per game in Minnesota — second most on the team — and recorded two goals and two assists in seven games.
During the NCAA season, he posted 10 points (two goals and eight assists) in 35 games and a -8 rating for Boston University. That marked a slight step back from his freshman season, when he recorded 13 points in 40 games with a +8 rating, reaching the Frozen Four final against Western Michigan University.
“We didn’t perform as well as a team this year compared to my first year,” Boumedienne said. “At the same time, I feel like I grew as a player. I became more mature in my game and in how I want to play as a two-way defenseman.
“I’m not very happy with how we finished the season in college. But winning World Junior gold in the middle of the season was obviously a lot of fun. It was a real highlight to be part of that and to win.”
Winning gold at the World Juniors helped him elevate his play in the NCAA after the tournament.
“Yes, it really gave me a boost in every way. All the guys who were there — those are brothers for life after winning together. It definitely gave me a boost personally and was, like I said, a big highlight for me.”
Next season will bring a somewhat unexpected move for Boumedienne. The 19-year-old, who was selected in the first round of last year’s NHL Draft by the Winnipeg Jets, is changing schools.
Boston University has one of the most prestigious hockey programs in the NCAA and often attracts top talent. But after two years, Boumedienne has chosen to leave Boston and instead move “back home.”
His father, Josef, spent ten years in the Columbus Blue Jackets organization. Sascha also played youth hockey for the Ohio Blue Jackets. Now he is set to return to the state after committing to Ohio State University.
From the outside, it might seem like a surprising move. But Boumedienne explains that it feels natural to come “home.”
“I felt comfortable going to Ohio State. It’s almost like home — we lived there for three years, and I felt really at ease there. My older brother (Sami) goes there, and I thought it would be fun to go to school with him and be close to him again. We’ve been pretty far apart the last two or three years.
“It’ll be great to be in school with him and be close again. It feels very safe going there. I’m really excited, and it feels great.”
In a way, it’s more of a social decision than a purely hockey-related one.
“Yes, both. It was a bit of everything. I just feel really comfortable going there and playing there.”
Due to his father’s ties to the Blue Jackets organization, Boumedienne has spent most of his career in the United States. He first played for the Ohio Blue Jackets before moving to the USHL with the Youngstown Phantoms, and then to Boston University for college hockey in 2024.
This fall, Boumedienne — who is expected to be a key player for Sweden at next year’s World Junior Championship in Alberta—will begin his third NCAA season, this time with Ohio State University.
He hopes the move will bring him closer to becoming an NHL-caliber defenseman.
“I just want to keep maturing as a player and continue developing my two-way game. I want to be a defenseman who contributes both offensively and defensively and can play in all situations. I’ll try to mature even more in my game and be solid in every situation. I also hope to get stronger so I can be tougher to play against defensively.”