'Really Special For Him'

STOCKHOLM - The review of Rasmus Andersson as Sweden's skipper isn't quite going to net five stars from Flames captain Mikael Backlund.

It would've been a sure thing, but...

"The bus left without me one day," Backlund revealed. "I said, 'That's the last time I'm going to hold the bus for you.' I thought we were closer than that, you know? I thought he would have my back, but he left without me.

"I did chirp him a little.

"I'll remember that forever," he adds, tongue firmly in cheek.

"I'm always the one organizing things in Calgary so he gets to do a little more of those things now here for Team Sweden. He always plays with that edge and he has that swagger to him. He's been using that here in Sweden. He's been himself. It's been a good fit. I'm really happy for him. He gets to play at the World Championships too. I know it's been really special for him, and really cool for him.

"First World Championships, at home, being captain... not everyone gets to do that.

"Very special."

Andersson'll have to be forgiven for the faux pas.

It is, after all, a relatively new role for the blueliner - one he hasn't adorned with the Flames or during his time in Calgary's minor-league system, nor through his two twirls as a member of the Barrie Colts in the Ontario Hockey League.

He wasn't in a position to earn it as a youngster in HockeyAllsvenskan, Sweden's second men's division, either; nor had it stitched on his sweater in two trips as a teenager to the World Under-18 Championship.

As inexperienced as he is with it on, teammates can 'C' why Andersson looks right at home with it at the 2025 IIHF World Championship.

"I don't know how many times he's been captain in his life, but he's bringing on the role really well," Swedish teammate and Vancouver Canucks defenceman Marcus Pettersson said. "He's not changing who he is. He's the same guy. When it's not game day he's yapping all the time, and when it is he's a little more serious. Just the way he plays too... he brings a lot of poise and a lot of confidence to a team.

"He wants to be a guy that's around the mix, good or bad, and he brings a lot of confidence to a team."

Pettersson has seen the progression. Or, perhaps, lack there of.

In the positive way.

"We did junior national teams together," said Pettersson, a fellow 1996-born. "We've seen each other a lot growing up. Haven't played with him for a lot of years now, but he's the same guy that he was back then. He hasn't changed. He's a terrific guy, and he's yapping all the time in the locker-room and stuff like that. He's a lot of fun to play with.

"He's a terrific player. He's one of those guys that you want on your team and hate to play against. He brings so much to a team. He's captaining our squad here, and it speaks a lot about him. It's a lot of fun to play with him."

Andersson isn't tasked with the easiest of scenarios, making the early returns on his leading all the more impressive.

The tournament, of course, is on home ice, adding a plethora of responsibilities to the fold for the gum-flapping rearguard.

He's the right man for the job, according to the man posed with the purpose of pinning the letter on in the first place.

"His personality... with just being a guy that steps into the room and he's loud and he speaks out his opinion," Sweden coach Sam Hallam said. "And then, also, the balance that we have in our group. Around him you have Backlund and Mika Zibanejad and a couple of other really experienced guys. On a younger team maybe you have a different profile with the captain, but for our team we want that guy that sparks it up a bit.

"It could be laughter. It could be calling somebody out for not being in the right place or whatever it is. Just his overall personality."

Hallam's decision isn't hasty.

He had Andersson at the 4 Nations Face-Off in February, sitting the 28-year-old for the first two skates of the series before putting him in the lineup for the finale.

What Hallam saw factored into the captain conundrum.

"I think Rasmus, how he handled the 4 Nations... I mean, that was a tough spot," Hallam said. "He was a healthy scratch for two games there. I mean, you can see real quick whether you're there for the best of the team the way you conduct and handle yourself in that situation.

"He was the best possible team guy he could be."

Teammates new and old can attest.

"He's pretty vocal," said center Elias Lindholm, reunited with 'Ras' on the Worlds stage after the pair were teammates for parts of six seasons in Calgary. "There's a bunch of leaders in there. It's a good group. But for sure, he's known for being a pretty vocal guy. Even if he has a 'C' or an 'A' or no letter at all, he's pretty vocal. It's good."

"He's awesome," added Minnesota Wild blueliner Jonas Brodin. "He's a tough guy to play against. I know. We play against him a lot. He's a tough guy to play against. He's great in the locker-room, talks to everyone. He brings great leadership. He's a great player, too. Awesome player. He scored a nice one today. He's a great player."

The highest praise?

Saved for the most familiar.

Backlund has seen that leadership element budding for more than a few seasons now.

"I think after a few years settling into the NHL and playing in Calgary he matured and got more and more mature on and off the ice," said Backlund, himself an alternate captain at the event. "He's always been a vocal guy. He loves chirping guys and being with the guys and talking lots, but more and more he started speaking in the room too during games... that sort of side of the game, not just chirping guys or having a good time.

"He more and more was being a leader in the room. We saw the growth and we decided it was time for him to get the 'A' there in Calgary. He's done a great job for us. Good leader on and off the ice.

"He deserves to have it now for Sweden."