'Fight For An Olympic Spot'

It was a learning experience.

And a real source of personal pride.

Back in Calgary after a 4 Nations Face-Off journey that included a thrilling win over the United States - on American soil, no less - Flames defenceman Rasmus Andersson held court with the media for more than 11 minutes Friday, discussing his time with Team Sweden.

Monday’s victory over the Americans marked Andersson’s first-ever senior men’s international appearance, and his first time representing the Tre Kronor at a major tournament in more than a decade.

It’s clear that experience has left him hungry for more high-level hockey, be it in the Stanley Cup Playoffs with the Flames, or with Sweden at next February’s Olympics in Italy.

“First and foremost, you want to make the playoffs here, and we’re going to have a helluva push here the last 27 games,” he said. “That’s the ultimate goal, but in the back of your head somewhere, it’s that Olympics.

“It’s kind of in a place where I grew up a little bit, too; we lived in Lugano (Switzerland) for four years growing up, and that’s 45 minutes from Milano. That would be even more special for me and my family to go back there.”

The past two weeks have afforded Andersson to stake his claim on that Swedish squad.

And while he only appeared in one of Sweden’s three games at the 4 Nations Face-Off, he put his best foot forward, finishing Monday’s 2-1 win with a team-high five blocked shots.

But even as an onlooker, Andersson says he made sure to make an impact, leaning on the personality of one of his Flames teammates as inspiration.

“You’ve got to find a way to bring energy. The first name that kinda popped into my head was, you know, be a little bit of a (Ryan) Lomberg out there, bring energy in a different way,” Andersson explained. “So that’s what I tried to do the first two games, and finally got in the last game.

“I thought I played pretty well. Had a long talk with the coach after, he seemed to enjoy the way I played. You leave on a good note, even though as a team, we didn’t reach the ultimate goal. From a personal level, you leave there feeling good about yourself.”

Back in Calgary, Andersson rejoins a team sitting three points shy of a coveted postseason berth. With six of the Flames’ next seven games set to be contested away from home, every period - every minute - matters.

For the 28-year-old, that international experience could well rub off on his club game, though. And that’s just what Flames head coach Ryan Huska is hoping will happen.

“Rasmus gets an opportunity to be around some of the elite players in the game,” he said Friday. “So, often times we talk about our younger players at training camps and when they're called up here to pay attention to what some of our older players do and how they handle themselves. Well, this is another way to look at it, where he's going to come back with some pretty good ideas as to maybe things that he can change and improve on, and recognize how some of the top players handle themselves at an event like that.

“And then, he's going to bring it back and be a better player for us that I think is going to rub off onto our players. So, I think it's a win-win for us.”

An opportunity to rub shoulders with the best of the best, players he grew up watching.

A chance for Andersson to pick up some tools of the trade from those who have set the standard for years.

“You know Erik Karlsson and (Victor) Hedman, they were the two big ones when I grew up. Especially when you got around, you know 16, 17, 18, they were doing really well in this league,” he said. “You try to pick up little bits from what they’re doing. You learn a lot.

“It gives you a lot of confidence to be there, but at the same time, you get humbled, too, by being there.”

When you step back and look at the big picture, though, it’s easy to see why Andersson and many of his 4 Nations peers treated these past two weeks as an Olympic audition.

Next year’s Games will be the first to include NHL players in over a decade. The excitement is palpable. And for that reason, Andersson wasn’t at all surprised that the 4 Nations Face-Off was seven games of intense, physical hockey.

“You fight for an Olympic spot at the end of the day, and you want to prove yourself the best you can,” he said. “You saw it: we played the first game against Canada and I think five minutes in, everybody was like, ‘Oh my God, this is going to be a real tournament.’ It’s not going to be people trying to dangle, you’re going to put the puck in, you’re going to forecheck, and you’re going to work. The U.S.-Canada, that was the gravy on top.

“From a player’s perspective, there was never any doubts about it, it was always like, ‘We’re here, representing our country.’ And for me, too, haven’t had the ability to do it in 10 years or whatever it’s been, it was such a surreal feeling just standing there, when you’re on the ice, hearing your own anthem. You almost get goosebumps standing there, in a sold-out TD Garden too, against the U.S.

“Scenery-wise, I don’t think you can make a better first national team game.”

The scenes from Montreal and Boston made for compelling television, too, and that intensity and international intrigue fell at the perfect time, in a soft spot on the North American sports calendar.

Audiences - in-person and around the globe - were engaged. And Andersson and his peers took centre stage in our continent’s sports conversation.

Some real momentum for the league’s stretch run.

And an unforgettable time for Andersson, his wife, and their two children.

“When the NHL runs it, it’s first-class through and through, they thought about everything, you could really tell when we were there,” he said. “I had my wife and my kids with me the whole time - they had a massive playroom at the Marriott for them to play in - everything was just set up great.

“I think it was a home run for the league and for the sport.”