Rakell learned fast he had to get dirty to score

It didn't take Plymouth Whalers forward Rickard Rakell very long to understand the battle required to score goals in North America.

"Getting dirty is what it takes to score a goal here," Rakell told NHL.com. "You can't get too fancy. You have to play a smart game and I really like that."

Let's put it this way. If Rakell were a baseball player, his uniform would be caked in dirt and covered in grass stains because he'd probably be the one diving for fly balls in the outfield or dropping to one knee to control a grounder. As a hockey player, his jersey usually is the one with all the colorful scuff marks.
Full story here

Nicklas Jensen Among Top Right Wingers in NHL Entry Draft

The NHL Draft Blog is doing the top 10 players available at each position. Yesterday, they started off with the top 10 left wingers and today they cover the top 10 right wingers.

Nicklas Jensen of the Oshawa Generals is the top OHL'er on the list coming in at number two.

"It's the best junior league in the world," Jensen told NHL.com regarding the OHL. "It's just to give the scouts a better look at me. In Denmark there's not that many scouts. Over here, there's scouts at every game. It's better for me, especially in my draft year, to be seen a little more."

There are four OHL right wingers that made the list. Joining Jensen are, Rickard Rakell,  Stefan Noesen and Brett Ritchie.

You can read the entire article here .

Playoff Preview - Round 2 - Western Conference

Seeing that I was only 5-8 in the first round, I should avoid making predictions. But why stop now? But first, a look at the two series.

Owen Sound (1) Plymouth (6) - Plymouth won series 1-0-1

Plymouth is coming off of a hard fought 7 game series against the favored Rangers While Owen Sound had a 6 game series win against London. The Whalers will once again be the underdogs in this one, but dont take them lightly.

Here's what their draft eligibles did against each other in the season series.

Stefan Noesen - pointless
Alex Aleardi - 0G 2A
Garrett Meurs - pointless
Rickard Rakell - 0G 1A

Andrew Fritsch - 1G 0A
Cameron Brace - 0G 0A

Prediction: Plymouth in 6 games

Saginaw (2) Windsor (4) - Saginaw won season series 4-1-1

Windsor is coming off of a 7 game seasaw battle with Erie while Saginaw is coming off of a 6 game set with Guelph.

Here's a look at what the draft eligible players did against each other.

Alex Khokhlachev - 2G 4A

Vincent Trocheck - 2 G 7A
Brandon Saad - 0G 2A

Prediction: Saginaw in 6 games

WJC - Sweden Vs Canada

When it comes to draft eligibles, this was billed as Adam Larsson vs Sean Couturier, even though it was an exhibition game. But let's not forget Gabriel Landeskog of the Kitchener Rangers and Rickard Rackell of the Plymouth Whalers were also in this game.

The two teams had over a dozen combined power plays through the game and only Canada was able to convert on one, a 5 on 3 advantage. If either of the two teams want to compete with the favored Americans, they will have to improve their power plays.

As for the players, Couturier had a quiet game and maybe he was slowed by playing on consecutive nights. Defensively he was his usual self but the Swedes kept him in check offensively. He worked himself to the front of the net in the offensive zone and was his usual force in front of the net, hard to move, hard do contain.

Larsson was hard to notice in the first period, if not for a couple of giveaways with a very noticeable one at the end of the period where he had to take a penalty to recover. They continued through the second and the third as well. Obviously, a lot of the Swedes were suffering jet lag, but Larsson himself has had nagging injuries all season that have prevented him from having the same offensive out put as last season. You have to wonder how much that is affecting his game.

The Air Canada Center in Toronto was full of scouts and general managers and between periods Bob McKenzie talked about Adam Larsson and Gabriel Landeskog as "two players going in opposite directions" referring to Landeskog climbing the rankings and Larsson dropping.

Landeskog himself didn't have any travelling to do. He didn't play the night before, so he was rested. What you see from him in the OHL is what you saw in this game. Grit, a strong back check and fore check, great skating and puck handling and creating offensive chances.

Of the three potential top four picks Landeskog stood out the most on this night. But it is what it is, an exhibition game. And if he can carry it through the tournament and his team mate continues his struggles he could seriously contend to be a top 2 or even top pick.

Rackell too had a quiet game. A potential second round pick could vault himself into the late first round with a strong tournament. A point per game player for the Whalers in the OHL, he'll be counted on to provide some offense for Sweden. But it didn't happen on this night.

It's a short tournament and there is no room for error. Not for the countries involved or for the players looking to solidify their positions to play in the NHL.

We are still over 6 months away from the NHL draft, but this could be the tournament where we can see some separation, or at least a consensus on where the players belong in the rankings.

For highlights and analysis of the game, visit tsn.ca

To view the game in its entirety visit watch.tsn.ca

Rickard Rakell Invited to Sweden's World Junior Selection Camp

Whalers 17-year-old forward Rickard Rakell has survived another round of cuts by Sweden's World Junior Championship team and will attend the final selection camp with 30 other Swedish players in hopes of making the team. He will return to Sweden on December 12.
The 2011 World Junior Championship begins in Buffalo, New York on December 26th where Sweden will play Norway at 4pm in Niagara.

For the full story and complete Team Sweden invites, click here

Rickard Rakell gets Tryout With Team Sweden

Plymouth Whalers right wing Rickard Rakell continues to score goals and acquire frequent flyer miles. Rakell – 17-years-old and from Sollentuna, Sweden – has received an invitation to try out for Team Sweden for the upcoming 2011 World Junior Championships, which will be played on December 26-January 5 in Buffalo, NY.

Rakell will be playing in exhibition games starting tonight (Monday, November 1) against Harvard University in Cambridge, MA. Sweden will also play Merrimack College on Tuesday, Williams College on Friday, and then against the UMass Amherst on Saturday. Rakell will rejoin the Whalers for their game in Sault Ste. Marie on Sunday.

Skating this season as a rookie in Plymouth, Rakell has played on the Whalers top two lines all season long and has five goals with eight assists for 13 points in 15 games. He scored the game-winning goal on Saturday with 41 seconds remaining in the Whalers’ dramatic come-from-behind 5-4 victory over Sault Ste. Marie at Compuware Arena.

Rakell plays with skill, but at 6-foot-1 and 185 pounds, he also plays with a certain amount of grit.

“90-percent of the goals are scored in front of the net”, Rakell said Saturday after scoring his game-winning goal. “I don’t have a problem crashing the net if that’s what I have to do.”

If Rakell makes Team Sweden, he’ll be the first member of the Whalers ever to represent Sweden in the World Junior Championships in the team’s 21-year history.

Courtesy of plymouthwhalers.com

Rickard Rakell

Rickard Rakell - Plymouth Whalers
6' - 185 lbs

 During the 2009-10 campaign Rakell put up 13 goals and 25 points in 12 games with his AIK J18 team, then netted 12 goals and 16 points in 18 games with AIK J18 (Elit). The 17-year-old also spent some time in the SuperElit with the U20’s this season, where he 3 goals and 4 points in 8 games against the older competition. 

                                                                                                              Rakell boasts a heavy, accurate, pro calibre shot, is a strong skater, good at protecting the puck, has nice hands, and very good hockey smarts. He is a big, strong, winger, that simply has a knack for putting the puck in the net.

                                                                                                                                                           Rakell boasts solid international stats. he recorded 7 goals and 2 assists in 9 games with the U17’s this past season, and helped team Sweden to a bronze medal at the 2010 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge.  He is the complete offensive package, and is also responsible defensively as well, which should have Whaler fans excited about their chances with a young club that is on the rise.