Bratt says Sweden games vs. Finland ‘bring out a little extra in everyone’

NEWARK, N.J. -- Jesper Bratt will never forget being emotionally charged when Nicklas Lidstrom scored 10 seconds into the third period to give Sweden a 3-2 win against rival Finland in the gold medal game of the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy.

The New Jersey Devils All-Star forward was 8 years old at the time, watching on television from his home in Stockholm. The impact of the goal and its importance on a nation left a lasting impression.

“That probably was one of Sweden’s most iconic goals of all time,” Bratt told NHL.com. “Henrik Lundqvist came up with a huge save in the end. It was at a time when I really started loving the sport. It was a huge memory.”

Seven years later, Bratt’s first opportunity to don the Sweden jersey in an international hockey game came against Finland during an Under-16 tournament.

“I remember it was kind of like getting right into the rivalry for the first time,” he said. “It was my first time wearing the three crowns on my chest … it was a special moment.”

It’ll come full circle for Bratt when he slips on the Sweden jersey once again against rival Finland at the 4 Nations Face-Off next month. Sweden will play its first two games at Bell Centre in Montreal, facing Canada in its opener of the tournament Feb. 12 before the matchup against Finland three days later.

“It's a big rivalry; definitely a game each country circles on the calendar,” Bratt said. “There’s a lot of history of the teams playing each other in very important games in all sports. Over the years, I got to play a lot of national team games against Finland, and they were always special.

“The games always bring out a little extra in everyone.”

The 26-year-old is expected to play a prominent role for his country, as he’s done since entering the League in 2017-18. He has 414 points (145 goals, 269 assists) in 522 NHL games spanning eight seasons, which isn’t too shabby for a sixth-round pick (No. 162) in the 2016 NHL Draft.

At the time of his draft, which he attended at KeyBank Center in Buffalo, Bratt was No. 17 on NHL Central Scouting’s final ranking of International skaters.

“I remember him as a speedster and energy player who created scoring chances with his quickness and surprising moves,” said Goran Stubb, who was NHL director of European Scouting at the time. “He already had great offensive instincts as a junior-aged player, and we really liked him.”

Bratt went on to certainly solidify Central Scouting’s belief in his ability.

"I gave myself the absolute best chance to make the team (in training camp, 2017) after an unbelievable summer,” Bratt said. “I hired one of Sweden's best workout coaches (Andreas Agren) and got to be part of a group that was only NHL players, with Gabriel Landeskog, Niklas Kronwall, Patric Hornqvist, Jacob Josefson … it was an amazing group of guys. I got to see how it was to be on the ice with William Nylander and I grew into a role that I started feeling good about.”

It remains to be seen if Bratt will get an opportunity to join Nylander, who plays for the Toronto Maple Leafs, on Sweden’s top line at the 4 Nations Face-Off, but the thought is tantalizing.

“I don’t really play with him too much in the summer when we scrimmage because we’re usually against each other,” he said. “He’s an amazing player, so dynamic. He reminds me a lot of [Jack Hughes] with his skating, shot, shiftiness and puck control. It would be really special to get on a line with him.”

Bratt scored 35 points (13 goals, 22 assists) in 74 games as a rookie. He’s scored no fewer than 73 points in each of the past three seasons, earning the respect of every opposing coach. He ranks second on the Devils with 55 points (16 goals, 39 assists) in 51 games this season, two points behind Hughes.

He's a big reason the Devils (28-17-6) are in third place in the Metropolitan Division entering their game at the Philadelphia Flyers on Monday (7 p.m. ET; MSGSN, NBCSP, TVAS).

“Entering Devils camp (in 2017), I knew I was ready and had nothing to lose,” Bratt said. “I knew skills-wise and hard-work-wise, I could definitely crack a spot and (then-Devils coach) John Hynes saw that, too. I wanted to bring something to the team every day and I'm always going to be thankful to him for trusting me.”

Bratt (5-foot-10, 175 pounds) also has found a way to use his stature to an advantage when he’s playing against the League’s top players, no matter how much bigger and stronger they might be.

“The key for me is always making sure I have the right mindset to be relentless and not fear anything,” Bratt said. “I think my skating and hard work have given me a chance to get away from people a little bit more. When I get the puck in the corner, I can do a cutback to get away from pressure and I've been getting more confident with that. I’ve built more muscle over the years and that also has given me another way of winning battles.”