GORHAM, Maine – Freshman Finn Ernsjöö (Stockholm, Sweden) and sophomore Marcus Torgner (Mjolby, Sweden) of the University of Southern Maine men's ice hockey program have been selected to compete for Team Sweden at the 2025 Winter World University Games from January 13-23 in Torino, Italy. Staged every two years in a different city, the winter edition of the FISU World University Games is a celebration of international university sports and culture. With several thousand student-athletes competing in each event edition, the FISU World University Games is among the world's largest winter multi-sports competition.
 
"This is such a big and well-deserved honor for both Marcus and Finn," said Huskies' head coach Matt Pinchevsky. "Their teammates and the program are so proud of the work that they have put in to achieve this opportunity. The University, athletic department, and their classmates will be rooting them on as they represent their country on the international stage. 'Grattis' to the Torgner and Ernsjöö families and 'lycka till' to the Dawgs!"
 
Torgner tried out for the Swedish team over the summer and impressed the coaching staff with his performance.  Sweden's coach then came across Ernsjöö while scouting Torgner and extended an invitation to join the squad, an offer that Ernsjöö immediately accepted.
 
"It is an honor to represent Team Sweden, and well, it's one of those things that I've always wanted to do." said Ernsjöö.
 
Ernsjöö, a Business Management major, is in his first season with the Huskies and has played in three games this season. A center, he made his collegiate debut in the Huskies' 4-3 win against the Wentworth Institute of Technology on November 30.
 
Torgner, a forward who is also majoring in Business Management, had an impressive season as a freshman in 2023-24 with 10 points from four goals and six assists. He was chosen as an alternate captain for the Huskies ahead of this season and is the lone underclassman in the team's leadership group. The sophomore's leadership involvement also extends off the ice as a Resident Assistant in Upperclass Hall.  So far this season, Torger has six points and is tied for third on the team.
 
"It is pretty cool to play against guys that we would never play against if we didn't do this. Guys that maybe play at a higher level than we do. Representing our country will be really cool." said Torgner. Along with the two Huskies, the Swedish team features 10 additional NCAA student-athletes, including one each from the Division I and II levels. The rest of the team is made up of players from the Swedish University Hockey Association.
 
Ernsjöö and Torgner had similar paths to USM, both committing to the Huskies from the same junior hockey organization, the Express Hockey Club, where they were teammates during the 2022-23 Eastern Hockey League season. Several former Express players are on the Southern Maine roster and that familiarity was a selling point for both players when weighting their collegiate plans.
 
"We both played juniors together near Boston. I came a year earlier than Finn but we're the still same age," said Torger. "I thought it checked all the boxes. A rink on campus, good school and a cool location."
 
"I used to play with Marcus and AJ [Adrian Jubran], so I just heard good things about the school," Ernsjöö added. "I came up to visit and loved Coach Pinch. Then Gavin [Simopoulos], my old linemate, committed and it seemed like the right play."
 
The University's Business Management program, the on-campus rink, and the location of Maine also appealed to both student-athletes.  Having grown up competing on Olympic-sized ice, each thought that their own game and skill set would be well-suited to the USM Ice Arena and the Huskies' program as well.
 
"I think the style we play fits me and Finn very well, "said Torgner. "We play very hard and physical and fast, and kind of keep it simple and outwork the other team, so I think it was very easy for us to adapt and come here and focus on our game."
 
Both players aspire to play professionally, either in Europe or in the United State, after their collegiate careers come to an end. They will be hoping to join the ranks of several former Huskies who have signed professional contracts in recent years. Four former USM student-athletes have played in the SPHL (formerly the Southern Professional Hockey League) this season and two have skated in the Federal Prospects Hockey League. In addition to the opportunity to represent their country on Team Sweden, Ernsjöö and Torgner view the World University Games as a chance to gain valuable playing experience and exposure.
 
The men's ice hockey competition will feature teams from Canada, Czech Republic, Japan, Kazakhstan, Korea, Poland, Slovakia, Sweden, Ukraine and the United States. The games will be played in Torre Pellice, Pinerolo and at the PalaTazzoli in Turin, where the semi-finals and the matches for first and third place will also take place. The first games were played on January 11, and the gold medal game will be played on January 22.
 
Since its founding in 1949, the International University Sports Federation (FISU) has been the main promoter of the spread of university sport throughout the world, strongly believing that the values ??of sport and the practice of sport are in perfect synchrony with university studies.