On Tuesday morning, Pittsburgh Penguins forward Rickard Rakell was selected as an injury replacement at the 4 Nations Face-Off for Vegas Golden Knights forward William Karlsson for Team Sweden. Rakell, 31, is enjoying a solid offensive season with Pittsburgh. Ben Fisher included the Penguins winger as one of 13 forwards featured on the 4 Nations Face-Off All-Snubs Team in mid-January.
PACK YOUR BAGS, RAKS!
Rickard Rakell has officially been named to Team Sweden for #4Nations. pic.twitter.com/3Mf5o31g3k— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) February 4, 2025
Penguins’ Goals-Scoring Leader in 2024-25
The first-round draft selection of the Anaheim Ducks is enjoying a surge in production this season. Rakell has registered 45 points through 53 games with Pittsburgh and currently ranks second on the team in scoring. He leads the team in goals with 23.
With almost 30 games remaining in the regular season, Rakell is on a path to eclipsing his career-high 69 points from the 2017-18 season. While he excelled at the NHL level, it was a pretty special time wearing his home nation’s colors that year, too.
Fourth International Appearance for Rakell
This will be Rakell’s fourth appearance for the Swedish National Team. In 2017, the 6-foot-1 forward led Sweden in scoring with six goals and eight assists over 10 games as Tre Kronor captured their 10th IIHF World Championship with a 2-1 shootout win over Canada. His 14 points tied for fourth in tournament scoring behind Connor McDavid (17 points), Sebastian Aho (18), and Patrick Kane (20).
Related: Guide to the 2025 4 Nations Face-Off
Rakell was an essential member of Sweden’s 2012 Under-20 World Junior Championship team, which claimed only their second Gold Medal ever at the tournament. He contributed two goals and three assists for five points over six matchups. The roster for that team featured many future NHL talents like John Klingberg, Filip Forsberg, Mika Zibanejad, and Jonas Brodin.
Karlsson, the man Rakell has replaced at the 4 Nations Face-Off, was also a member of that 2012 roster for Sweden. Karlsson’s participation at the 4 Nations Face-Off has been questioned since his “week-to-week” injury designation in late-January. He is the second Golden Knights player to be replaced in the tournament due to injury, and he will join Canadian defenseman Alex Pietrangelo on the sidelines next…
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