Rickard Lars Gunnar Roland Rakell (born 5 May 1993) is a Swedish professional ice hockey player who is a forward for the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League (NHL).
While playing for the AIK IF in Sweden, Rakell was drafted 41st overall by the Plymouth Whalers in the Ontario Hockey League's (OHL) 2010 Import Draft. Upon finishing his rookie season with the Whalers, Rakell was drafted in the first round, 30th overall, by the Anaheim Ducks in the 2011 NHL entry draft. He remained with the Whalers for two more seasons before joining the Ducks for four games at the start of their 2012–13 season. Upon making his NHL debut on 19 January 2013, Rakell became the sixth youngest player to appear in a game for the Ducks at 19 years, eight months and 14 days. To avoid burning the first year of his entry-level contract, Rakell was reassigned to the Whalers for the remainder of the 2012–13 regular season.
Rakell played within the Ducks organization for nine seasons, during which he set numerous person and franchise records. His on-ice success also helped the Ducks qualify for the Stanley Cup playoffs five times during his tenure with the team. During the 2014 Stanley Cup playoffs, Rakell became the first player in franchise history to score their first career goal in the playoffs. He also helped the Ducks set a franchise record for most playoff power play goals with four during Game 5 of the team's first-round series against the Dallas Stars. Two years later, he became the fourth-youngest Duck to eclipse 30 goals in a season and the first NHL player under the age of 24 with 10 game-winning goals since Steven Stamkos in 2011–12.
Internationally, Rakell has represented Sweden at both the junior and senior levels. He made his debut for Sweden as the youngest player on the 2011 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships roster. Rakell helped Team Sweden win gold at the 2018 IIHF World Championship while making his senior team debut at the international level.
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Early life
Rakell was born on 5 May 1993 in Sollentuna, Sweden, to parents Roland and Annika. He grew up in Stockholm alongside his brother Robin and sister Rebecka. As his grandfather Åke Rakell was a professional table tennis player, Rakell played the sport until he was 14, when he dedicated his focus to ice hockey. Growing up in Stockholm, Rakell idolized Toronto Maple Leafs forward Mats Sundin and, later Patric Hornqvist. Rakell's cousin Mathias also plays ice hockey.
Playing career
Major junior
While growing up in Sweden, Rakell played for the AIK IF in both the J18 Elit and J20 Elit. He played in a defensive role until he was 14 when he switched to forward to score more. After recording 25 points in the J18 Allsv and four points in the J20, Rakell was drafted 41st overall by the Plymouth Whalers in the Ontario Hockey League's (OHL) 2010 Import Draft. Rakell later stated that fellow Swede Gabriel Landeskog was a major influence in encouraging him to move to North America. As he was a year older, Landeskog had already begun playing in North America and was proving to be very successful in the OHL. Upon moving to North America, Rakell began his rookie season with the Whalers during the 2010–11 season. He originally enrolled in a local high school but eventually dropped out due to his lack of North American-based knowledge. He would eventually earn the equivalent of a high school diploma online. Rakell began the season strong by tallying 23 points through his first 25 OHL games and thus earned a spot in the CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game. Following the Top Prospects Game, Rakell was ranked 34th among all OHL players eligible for the 2011 NHL entry draft in the NHL Central Scouting Bureau's Midterm Rankings list. He finished his rookie season with 20 goals and 43 points in 49 games and was ranked 30th among all OHL draft players eligible. After attending the NHL Combine, Rakell was drafted in the first round, 30th overall, by the Anaheim Ducks in the 2011 NHL entry draft.
Following the draft, Rakell participated in the Ducks' training camp but was returned to the Whalers to start the 2011–12 season. This would prove to be a breakout season for Rakell, who surpassed his previous season's totals in goals, assists, and points. By 12 December 2011, Rakell co-led his team with 16 goals and ranked second with 20 assists for 36 points through 31 games. By late January, this had improved to 22 goals and 23 assists for 45 points through 39 games. As the Whalers qualified for the OHL playoffs, Rakell continued to build on his solid rookie campaign with an even better second year. He finished the regular season with 28 goals, including eight on the power play, with 34 assists over 60 games. Leading up to their playoff run, Rakell was voted Best Defensive Forward in the Western Conference Coaches Poll. Rakell and the Whalers eliminated the Guelph Storm in six games and met with the Kitchener Rangers in the Quarterfinals. He finished the postseason leading the Whalers with 10 assists while ranking third in points with 12.
During the offseason, Rakell signed a three-year entry-level contract with the Ducks on 3 July 2012. He again participated in their training camp before being returned to the OHL for the 2012–13 season, his final year of major junior hockey. While the 2012–13 NHL lockout was occurring, Rakell began his third year with the Whalers by accumulating 13 goals and 17 assists through 32 games. Once the lockout concluded, he participated in their training camp and made their opening night roster. He subsequently made his NHL debut on 19 January 2013, against the Vancouver Canucks. Following his debut, Rakel became the sixth youngest player to appear in a game for the Ducks at 19 years, eight months and 14 days. He remained in the Ducks' lineup and played on the team's "First-Round Line" alongside fellow first-round picks Kyle Palmieri and Emerson Etem. To avoid burning the first year of his entry-level contract, Rakell was reassigned to the Whalers on 13 February, after going scoreless with a minus-2 rating in four games. Upon rejoining the Whalers, Rakell was named the OHL Player of the Week ending on 24 February, after he accumulated six goals and three assists for nine points through four games. He finished the 2012–13 regular season with 21 goals and 23 assists for 44 points through 40 games.
Professional
After attending the Ducks' 2013 training camp and preseason, Rakell was reassigned to their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Norfolk Admirals, to begin the 2013–14 season. Rakell began his first season with the Admirals by recording five points and six penalty minutes through his first nine games. He co-led the team in scoring, goals and appearances and ranked second in power-play goals. He was called up to the NHL level on 28 October 2013, but did not appear in a game before being returned to the Admirals on 31 October. In his following three games with the Admirals, Rakell added one more point before being recalled back to the NHL level on 3 November. He shortly thereafter made his season debut and eventually tallied his first career NHL point, an assist, on 8 November 2013 in a game against the Buffalo Sabres. Despite missing a few games, Rakell continued his scoring prowess upon returning to the Admirals and ranked second on the team with six goals and four assists for 10 points through 16 games. By the end of February 2014, Rakell had accumulated 11 points with the Anaheim Ducks and shared the Admirals team lead in points with 34 through 31 games. When he earned his final recall to the NHL level on 20 March, he had collected 14 goals and 23 assists for 37 points through 46 games. He left the Admirals while ranked third on the team in points, second in assists and power-play goals, and tied for third in goals. Rakell finished the 2013–14 season with the Ducks by tallying four assists through 18 games.
As the Ducks qualified for the 2014 Stanley Cup playoffs, Rakell made his postseason debut on 23 April in game 4 of the first-round series against the Dallas Stars. As he was a replacement for an injured Ryan Getzlaf, Rakell played on the Ducks' top line alongside Corey Perry and Emerson Etem. He scored his first career NHL goal on the power play during game 5 to help lift the Ducks to a 6–2 win. Rakell thus became the first player in franchise history to score their first career goal in the playoffs. In same game Rakell also helped set another franchise record for most playoff power play goals as four Ducks' players scored on the power play during the game.
As Rakell was still officially a rookie by the NHL's standards, he participated in the Ducks' rookie camp before the start of the 2014–15 season. Due to injuries across the Ducks' lineup, Rakell made the teams' opening night roster for his first full rookie season at the NHL level. However, Rakell spent the majority of the season battling with fellow Swede William Karlsson for Anaheim's fourth-line centre spot. His play would also be marred with inconsistency and long scoring droughts as he was made a healthy scratch six times through the Ducks' first 16 games. By 2 December 2014, Rakell had earned three assists and accumulated four penalty minutes through 17 games. He was reassigned to the Admirals for two games, where he collected four points, before rejoining the Ducks on 6 December. Between 10 December 2014 and 7 January 2015, Rakell scored four points. One of those points included his first regular-season NHL goal on 23 December in a game against the San Jose Sharks. On 11 January, Rakell tied a franchise record for most points by a rookie in a single game after he tallied two goals and two assists in a 5–4 shootout win over the Winnipeg Jets. As his production continued to increase, he won the Ducks' third-line centre position, and the Ducks traded Karlsson to the Columbus Blue Jackets. The Ducks and Rakell continued to find success, and they set a new franchise record in March for the all-time longest winning streak. As Rakell helped the Ducks qualify for the 2015 Stanley Cup playoffs, he finished the regular season with nine goals and 22 assists in 71 games. During the Ducks' first-round matchup against the Winnipeg Jets, Rakell played on the third line alongside Andrew Cogliano and Kyle Palmieri. On this line, he tallied the game-winning overtime goal in game 3 over the Winnipeg Jets. This would prove to be his only point of the playoffs as he remained pointless through the next 13 games.
International play
As a native of Sweden, Rakell has represented his home country at both the junior and senior levels. He made his debut for Sweden junuor team at the 2011 World Junior Championships. As the youngest member of Sweden, he helped them finish fourth in the tournament. He then played in the 2012 World Junior Championships, where he recorded two goals and three assists en route to a gold medal. Rakell represented Sweden at the junior level for the final time at the 2013 World Junior Championships, where he helped them win a silver medal.
Rakell made his senior team debut at the 2018 World Championship, where he led Team Sweden to a gold medal. He accumulated six goals, including two game-winners, and eight assists for 14 points through 10 games. As a result of his outstanding play, Rakell was named to the tournament's All-Star Team.
On 4 February 2025, Rakell was selected to replace William Karlsson on Sweden's roster for the 4 Nations Face-Off.
On 2 Jan 2026, Rakell was named to his first Swedish Olympic roster, at the Milano Cortina 2026 games.
Personal life
While playing for the Ducks, Rakell and his then-fiancé Emmeli created a charitable program called 67 Assists, referencing Rakell's jersey number. The purpose of the charity was to provide opportunities for training service dogs in a live sporting event environment.
Rakell and Emmeli married in August 2021, and their daughter was born in June 2022. Their son was born in April 2025.