Washington Capitals left wing Marcus Johansson will represent Sweden at the 2014 Sochi Olympics, it was announced Friday.
Johansson takes the place of Vancouver Canucks center Henrik Sedin, who announced Thursday he will not participate in Sochi because of a lingering rib injury.
Johansson, 23, will be making his first Olympic appearance and will join Capitals teammate Nicklas Backstrom on the Swedish team.
"It's a great feeling. It's awesome. It's a dream coming true," Johansson said. "Playing in the Olympics for your country, it's pretty awesome. ... You feel proud and really excited to be able to experience an Olympics and get a chance to win a gold medal."
Johansson represented Sweden at the 2009 and 2010 World Junior Championships and was captain of the Swedish team in 2010. In 11 career games at the World Junior Championship, Johansson recorded three goals and five assists. The 6-foot-1, 204-pounder won a silver medal with Sweden in 2009 and a bronze medal in 2010.
Johansson has played in 58 games with the Capitals this season, registering seven goals and 29 assists. The native of Landskrona joins Capitals teammates John Carlson (United States), Martin Erat (Czech Republic), Alex Ovechkin (Russia) and Backstrom in representing their respective countries in Sochi.
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