When Rickard Rakell first heard from Team Sweden representatives, it was a phone call featuring some disappointing news.
The Penguins forward was initially informed in December that he had not cracked Sweden’s roster for the inaugural 4 Nations Face-Off, which gets underway next week in Boston and Montreal. The tournament features teams from the United States, Canada and Finland in addition to Sweden.
But over the last 48 hours, Rakell received more uplifting news.
Thanks to Vegas Golden Knights forward William Karlsson being sidelined with a lower-body injury, Rakell officially became a late addition to Sweden’s roster on Tuesday morning. Rakell got another call from none other than former Penguins forward and countryman Patric Hornqvist, who is serving as Sweden’s assistant general manager for the tournament.
“It was a lot happier than the first one,” Rakell said with a grin after Tuesday night’s loss to the Devils.
Rakell, 31, was initially quite disappointed to learn he wouldn’t be participating in the mid-season spectacle. At the time, Rakell told the Post-Gazette his snubbing by Sweden gave him “more motivation” to prove those putting the roster together wrong.
All Rakell has done in the past two months is bolster his argument for inclusion amid a bounce-back season. Including his tally during Tuesday’s loss, Rakell has a team-leading 24 goals, as well as 22 assists in 54 games.
Coach Mike Sullivan, who heaped praise on Rakell prior to Tuesday’s contest, commended the veteran winger on his superb season to date and believed him deserving of representing Sweden.
“I think [Rakell] has just quietly had a really strong season, a consistent game since training camp,” Sullivan said. “He’s playing the game the right way. ... The offensive side, everybody sees. But he’s committed to a lot of the subtleties that, in our mind, add up to winning. So we couldn’t be happier for him.”
Following a down season in 2023-24 in which he scored just 15 goals and assisted on 22 others across 70 games, Rakell went back home to Sweden in the hopes of getting in better shape. He was slowed last year by a serious upper-body injury, too, one which sidelined Rakell for a month and forced the forward to strap on a shoulder harness to play.
Rakell, who has now scored 225 NHL goals across 13 seasons, including at least 20 in six of those campaigns, never lost confidence in his abilities. But he was motivated to produce from the outset last fall
“With the season I had last year, I just wanted to come in with a fresh start and feel like I have to make the team again, going back to my first few years playing in this league,” Rakell said. “Just have that hunger and just show what I can do on the ice. Don’t look back after that.”
Evidenced by his play, Rakell has brought that approach to fruition. He’s been easily the Penguins’ most consistent winger this season, and only trails captain Sidney Crosby for the team lead in points. Rakell has also been a responsible defender, as the advanced analytics have favored the Penguins whenever he’s been on the ice this year.
As a result of his stellar two-way game, Rakell now gets to reap the fruits of his labor and represent his homeland alongside fellow Penguin Erik Karlsson. Rakell has also played for Sweden during the World Junior championships on three separate occasions, as well as the 2018 IIHF championship, from which Rakell’s country took home gold.
“It’s a huge honor for me to play for Sweden,” Rakell said. “Ever since I didn’t make the team, you never know what’s going to happen. My whole focus has been here for the Penguins and just trying to do whatever I can here.
“But obviously, really looking forward to it and just playing with the best players in the world.”
The addition to Sweden’s roster is relatively short notice for Rakell, considering his squad will square off with Canada on Feb. 12 in Montreal. Most Penguins, aside from Rakell, Karlsson and Crosby, will have roughly a week-and-a-half off from practices.
Because of the late notice, Rakell had to scrap some family vacation plans. But the Swede didn’t seem too upset about having to throw on a blue-and-yellow sweater in the coming weeks.
“Yeah, we had plans,” Rakell quipped, “but Disney World is always going to be there.”
First Published: February 5, 2025, 2:01 p.m.
