For the past 10 years, the World Juniors has grown to be one of the most popular events of the season among Swedish hockey fans. Before the 2006-07 tournament on home soil, the tournament had not been televised for several years. These days, it is a must watch and for the generation of players that represent Sweden now, participating in the tournament is a dream come true.
"I've watched almost every tournament on TV since I was a kid", Ragnarsson says. "It's obviously been a dream of mine to play myself and now I've actually got that chance. It feels incredible, unreal. It's kind of hard to grasp, actually."
A look at the Swedish roster reveals that the defense is by far the strongest part of the team. They have five players drafted in the first round among their rearguards. This including Rangers first-rounder Nils Lundkvist. Ragnarson is in awe of his company.
"There's a lot of really good defensemen on the team", he says. "I mean, we've got guys like Nils, Adam Boqvist, Timothy Liljegren, Rasmus Sandin and Erik Brännström who are all really offensively gifted. I think we have a lot of interesting players on the team, a lot of skilled players."
He has high hopes for the tournament.
"If we can bring the team together, I think we can win it all. I really believe that."
If he makes the final roster, Ragnarsson's not the first guy from his extended family to participate in the World Juniors. Last year in Buffalo, his cousin and ex-teammate Gustav Lindström, a Detroit Red Wings prospect, was on the Swedish squad that captured a silver medal after losing to Canada in the finals. The fact that Ragnarsson's team Almtuna has a defenseman on a WJC roster for the second straight year is a huge compliment to the organization.
"We have a really good setup on the academy here", Ragnarson says. "We have really good practices in both the gym and on the ice, and some really good coaches to work with."
His coach also happens to be his dad. Marcus Ragnarsson played 632 NHL games with the San Jose Sharks and the Philadelphia Flyers between 1995 and 2004 and Jacob was actually born in Mountain View, California, when his dad played for the Sharks. After ending his career in 2010, Ragnarsson senior has been working as a coach. The past two and a half seasons he has served as the head coach of Almtuna.
"It's obviously a bit different", Jacob says of being coached by his dad. "But it's something you don't really have time to think about. At the rink, he's my coach, and at home, he's my dad. He knows a lot about hockey and shares that knowledge, and I'm really thankful for that."
Even though his dad had a very distinguished career, with two Olympic appearances and several World Championships, his son now has the chance to do something he didn't. Play in the World Juniors.
"He was actually a part of a preliminary roster ahead of the World Juniors at one point, but was cut as the last defenseman", Jacob says. "This gives me a good chance to beat him."
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