While his teammates have jetted off to vacations elsewhere, Calgary Flames blueliner Rasmus Andersson was back on the practice ice in Montreal on Monday, and in a different jersey than usual. Monday was the first on-ice sessions for each of the 4 Nations Face-Off teams, and Andersson donned the Swedish national team jersey for the first time since he was a teenager.
According to NHL.com’s Tom Gulitti (and Daily Faceoff’s projections), Andersson was skating on a pairing with Buffalo Sabres defender Rasmus Dahlin.
Per Gulitti, the other defensive pairings featured Victor Hedman & Jonas Brodin and Mattias Ekholm & Erik Karlsson. Florida Panthers blueliner Gustav Forsling wasn’t practising on Monday due to illness. (Forsling is a left shot defender, so it’s unlikely that him becoming available for Sweden would bump Andersson out of their lineup, but we’ll see…)
Sweden’s forward lines looked like this:
Filip Forsberg – Elias Pettersson – Adrian Kempe
Rickard Rakell – Mika Zibanejad – William Nylander
Jesper Bratt – Joel Eriksson Ek – Lucas Raymond
Viktor Arvidsson – Elias Lindholm – Gustav Nyquist
Rickard Rakell – Mika Zibanejad – William Nylander
Jesper Bratt – Joel Eriksson Ek – Lucas Raymond
Viktor Arvidsson – Elias Lindholm – Gustav Nyquist
Sweden’s netminders are Filip Gustavsson. Linus Ullmark and Samuel Ersson. Their extra forward is Leo Carlsson.
The 28-year-old Andersson is the Flames’ lone representative at the 4 Nations Face-Off. It’s his first time representing his country at the senior level after previously wearing the Tre Kronor jersey at two Under-18 World Championships (2013 and 2014) and the Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament (2014). His father, Peter, represented Sweden several times, including at four World Championships at the 1992 Winter Olympics. His old brother, Calle, has also played for Sweden’s national team, albeit not at any major tournaments. Andersson has eight goals and 21 points in 55 games this season for the Flames.
The 4 Nations Face-Off is the first major best-on-best event in awhile, and serves as a precursor to the 2026 Winter Olympics next year in Italy. Andersson and Sweden kick off their tournament on Wednesday night when they face Canada in Montreal. The tournament runs until the finale in Boston on Feb. 20.
Daily Faceoff Live is on the road! From February 10th to 20th, we’re bringing you live shows every weekday straight from Four Nations, delivering exclusive coverage, insider analysis, and all the tournament action as it unfolds. Don’t miss a beat—subscribe to the Daily Faceoff YouTube channel and follow us on social for the latest updates. It’s international hockey, so expect intensity, excitement, and maybe even a little chaos. Stay locked in and catch us live from Four Nations!
