Son of former Canucks captain Henrik Sedin named to Canada U18 national soccer team

Valter will be playing friendlies for Canada against Finland and Switzerland as the team prepares for the 2027 FIFA under-20 World Cup. The under-19 qualification cycle for the tournament will begin in 2026.

Canada will travel to Finland for the friendlies, playing the host country on September 5th and then Switzerland on September 7th.

Valter had previously represented Sweden at the international level, but is eligible to play for both teams, as he was born in Canada and has nationality in Sweden.

Having grown up in Vancouver while his dad played for the Canucks, Valter didn’t follow in his dad’s footsteps and go the hockey route, but instead took a focus to soccer, playing in the midfield position. Valter has been in the Vancouver Whitecaps MLS Academy for several seasons, and recently joined Swedish team Hammarby IF’s under-19 program. Hammarby IF is partially owned by Swedish soccer legend Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

Valter made his professional soccer debut in 2024 playing for the Whitecaps’ MLS Next Pro team, which is the development league one step below the MLS. However, in February 2025 he made the move overseas in an attempt to make the top team of Hammaby IF’s development system.

Henrik Sedin did briefly have a chance at a soccer career himself, as he had a trial with Djurgarden IF Fotboll before opting to focus on his hockey career. That proved to be the wiser choice, as he went on to have a legendary career with the Canucks, setting the franchise scoring record of 1,070 points across 17 seasons alongside his twin brother Daniel, establishing one of the most iconic duos in NHL history.