rickard rakell PIT 4NF SWE with bug

Rickard Rakell was named to Team Sweden's roster for the 4 Nations Face-Off on Tuesday.

The Pittsburgh Penguins forward will replace center William Karlsson of the Vegas Golden Knights, who is week to week with a lower-body injury.

The 4 Nations Face-Off, the first best-on-best tournament to feature NHL players since the World Cup of Hockey 2016, will be held Feb. 12-20 at Bell Centre in Montreal and TD Garden in Boston.

Sweden's first game is against Team Canada on Feb. 12 (8 p.m. ET; MAX, truTV, TNT, SN, TVAS).

"It's a huge honor for me to play for Sweden," Rakell said. "Ever since I didn't make the team, you never know what's going to happen. My whole focus has been here with the Penguins and just trying to do whatever I can here. But obviously, I'm really looking forward to it and just playing with the best players in the world."

Rakell, 31, leads the Penguins with 23 goals this season and is second with 45 points in 53 games.

"First of all, we're thrilled for him,” said Pittsburgh coach Mike Sullivan, who will coach Team United States. “We're certainly proud of him. He's a really good player, a great person. We think he's deserving.

“… I think 'Raks' has just, quietly, had a really strong season, a consistent game since training camp. He's playing the game the right way. He's playing on both sides of the puck. He has a hardness to his game. He's stiff on the puck. He's physical, he's willing to block shots. He's playing defense. The offensive side, everybody sees. But he's committed to a lot of the subtleties that, on our mind, adds to winning. So, we couldn't be happier for him. We think he's so deserving and we're certainly proud of him."

A native of Sundbyberg, Sweden, Rakell has 494 points (224 goals, 270 assists) in 774 regular-season games for the Penguins and Anaheim Ducks.

Rakell last represented Sweden on the international stage in the 2021 World Championships. He won gold at the 2018 Worlds and 2012 World Junior Championship, and silver at the 2013 WJC.

"Obviously, it was always my goal to make it," Rakell said. "Yeah, it was tough to get that phone call, to hear I didn't make it. But that's life. You just have to keep fighting. Now, here we are. Now, I finally get the chance."

NHL.com independent correspondent Wes Crosby contributed to this report