Rickard Rakell

Rickard Lars Gunnar Roland Rakell (born 5 May 1993) is a Swedish professional ice hockey left winger for the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected 30th overall in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft by the Anaheim Ducks.

Rickard Rakell
Rakell with Sweden in 2012
Born (1993-05-05) 5 May 1993
Sollentuna, Sweden
Height 6 ft 2 in (188 cm)
Weight 201 lb (91 kg; 14 st 5 lb)
Position Left wing
Shoots Right
NHL team
Former teams		 Pittsburgh Penguins
Anaheim Ducks
National team  Sweden
NHL Draft 30th overall, 2011
Anaheim Ducks
Playing career 2013–present

Playing career

Major junior

Rakell was drafted 41st overall by the Plymouth Whalers in the OHL 2010 Import Draft.[1] Rakell was drafted 30th overall by the Anaheim Ducks in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft.[2] He signed a three-year entry level contract with the Ducks on 3 July 2012.[3]

Anaheim Ducks

Rakell played his first NHL game following the 2012–13 NHL lockout on 19 January 2013, against the Vancouver Canucks. He registered his first NHL point on 8 November 2013, an assist on an Andrew Cogliano goal in a game against the Buffalo Sabres.[4] Rakell scored his first NHL goal in a Stanley Cup playoff game against goaltender Kari Lehtonen of the Dallas Stars on 25 April 2014.[5]

In March 2016, Rakell was named to Team Sweden at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey but was forced to pull out due to abdominal surgery.[6] Despite recovering in time for the 2016 Stanley Cup playoffs, Rakell claimed he "never felt like himself"[6] and in September 2016, he underwent further surgery to remove scar tissue from his stomach as a result of his appendectomy.[7]

On 14 October 2016, Rakell signed a six-year contract with the Ducks.[8] Despite missing 10 games due to visa problems, Rakell put up a career high 51 points in 71 games.

In the 2017–18 NHL season, Rakell received a spot in the Pacific Division team for the NHL All-Star Game in Tampa, Florida.[9] He recorded his first career NHL hat-trick on 25 February 2018 in a 6–5 shootout loss to the Edmonton Oilers. [10]

Pittsburgh Penguins

On 21 March 2022, with Anaheim out of a playoff spot and with Rakell set to become an unrestricted free agent, the Ducks sent Rakell to the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for a 2022 second-round pick, Dominik Simon, Zach Aston-Reese and Calle Clang.[11]

International play
Medal record
Representing  Sweden
Ice hockey
World Championships
2018 Denmark
World Junior Championships
2012 Calgary
2013 Ufa

Rakell has represented Sweden three times at the IIHF World U20 Championship, in 2011, 2012 and 2013, placing second, first and fourth, respectively.[12]

Rakell would make his senior debut at the 2018, where he led Team Sweden in scoring with 14 points and winning gold. He was also named to the tournament all-star team.

Personal life

His grandfather was Åke Rakell, a Swedish international table tennis player.[13] Rakell's brother Robin is an ice hockey player for Gjøvik Hockey in Norway.[14]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs
Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2009–10 AIK J18 18124168 —————
2009–10 AIK J18 Allsv 1213122510 32240
2009–10 AIK J20 83142 21010
2010–11 Plymouth Whalers OHL 4920254512 10000
2011–12 Plymouth Whalers OHL 6028346212 13210120
2012–13 Plymouth Whalers OHL 4021234412 15691510
2012–13 Anaheim Ducks NHL 40000 —————
2013–14 Norfolk Admirals AHL 4614233712 10110
2013–14 Anaheim Ducks NHL 180442 41120
2014–15 Anaheim Ducks NHL 719223110 161012
2014–15 Norfolk Admirals AHL 21340 —————
2015–16 Anaheim Ducks NHL 7220234319 71120
2016–17 Anaheim Ducks NHL 7133185112 1576130
2017–18 Anaheim Ducks NHL 7734356914 41010
2018–19 Anaheim Ducks NHL 6918254327 —————
2019–20 Anaheim Ducks NHL 6515274212 —————
2020–21 Anaheim Ducks NHL 529192812 —————
2021–22 Anaheim Ducks NHL 511612288 —————
NHL totals 550154185339116 46118192

International
Year Team Event Result GP G A Pts PIM
2010 Sweden U17 61122
2011 Sweden WJC 4th 50332
2012 Sweden WJC 62354
2013 Sweden WJC 606616
2018 Sweden WC 1068146
2021 Sweden WC 9th 71120
Junior totals 233131624
Senior totals 1779166

Awards and honors
Award Year Ref
NHL
All-Star Game 2018 [15]
International
WC All-Star Team 2018

References
  1. "CHL Conducts 2010 Import Draft". ontariohockeyleague.com. 29 June 2010. Retrieved 8 November 2018.
  2. "CHL Record 21 Players Selected in First Round of 2011 NHL Draft". ontariohockeyleague.com. 24 June 2011. Retrieved 8 November 2018.
  3. "Whalers' Rickard Rakell Signs With Anaheim Ducks". ontariohockeyleague.com. 3 July 2012. Retrieved 8 November 2018.
  4. "Buffalo Sabres at Anaheim Ducks". National Hockey League. 9 November 2013.
  5. "Dallas Stars at Anaheim Ducks". National Hockey League. 26 April 2014.
  6. Mastracco, Abbey (26 October 2016). "Rickard Rakell happy to be back with Ducks". NHL.com. Retrieved 8 November 2018.
  7. Share-Cohen, Brandon (18 September 2016). "Rickard Rakell Undergoes Successful Surgery". thehockeywriters.com. Retrieved 8 November 2018.
  8. Mastracco, Abbey (14 October 2018). "Rickard Rakell signs six-year contract with Ducks". NHL.com. Retrieved 8 November 2018.
  9. Dillman, Lisa (22 January 2018). "Rakell staying modest after becoming all-star with Ducks". NHL.com. Retrieved 24 April 2018.
  10. "Oilers overcome late collapse, down Ducks in shootout". sportsnet.ca. 25 February 2018. Retrieved 8 November 2018.
  11. "Penguins acquire Rakell from Ducks". tsn.ca. 21 March 2022. Retrieved 21 March 2022.
  12. "Rickard Rakell interview". dansallows.com. 2 January 2013. Archived from the original on 18 August 2010. Retrieved 2 January 2013.
  13. Zupke, Curtis (27 February 2016). "Rickard Rakell is one Duck who knows how to paddle". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 8 November 2018.
  14. "Robin Rakell". eliteprospects.com. Retrieved 8 November 2018.
  15. "NHL announces 2018 All-Star rosters - Sportsnet.ca". Sportsnet.ca. Retrieved 11 January 2018.
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