It's been a long time coming.
And Rasmus Andersson is eager to answer the call for Sweden, when the 4 Nations Face-Off takes place in Montreal and Boston this coming February.
The Flames stalwart was one of seven defencemen named to the Swedish roster Wednesday afternoon, the tournament marking his first international tournament since he wore the Tre Kronor at the IIHF U18 World Championship in 2014.
The international call-up is a source of pride for the 28-year-old, who joins the likes of Erik Karlsson, Victor Hedman and Rasmus Dahlin on a stacked Swedish blue line.
"It means a lot. It means you’ve done something good," he said Wednesday afternoon. "It’s the first time in a long time I get to play in the national team, it’s something I’m super-excited about.
"I couldn’t be more happy and proud that I made the team, I’m really looking forward to this tournament."
The Malmo product leads all Flames blueliners with six goals and 15 points this season, and he's one of only 10 blueliners League-wide with six or more goals to begin the 2024-25 campaign.
Proof positive of not only a strong start to the season, but increased international attention.
And now he'll be front and centre in the four-team event, the first true best-on-best tourney of its kind since the 2016 World Cup of Hockey.
"It feels surreal that you’re going to play in a tournament like this, but at the same time, I thought I’ve been off to a pretty good start this year, and it was always in the back of my head to try to make this team," Andersson explained. "I’m super proud of myself that I did. It’s a surreal feeling, because it is best on best, and it’s the first time in a long time."
Flames head coach Ryan Huska figures Andersson's inclusion on the Swedish roster is a deserving honour, emblematic of a body of work that stretches far beyond the 26 games he's played in a Calgary uniform this fall.
"You’re now playing against the best of the best," Huska said Wednesday. "I know there’s a country or two missing in there, but these are the best players. When you find yourself in that category, I think it allows you to puff the chest out a little bit, but it is some recognition of what he’s done over the years and how he’s made himself a better player.
"I think when you get someone who gets to go to an event like that, he comes back with a little bit more swagger, a little bit more confidence, and maybe more of a belief knowing ‘yup, I am one of the elite players in the league.’ And when you get that, there’s a tendency to bring other people along."
Andersson and Team Sweden will open the tournament Feb. 12 versus Canada at the Bell Centre in Montreal, before facing off against Finland Feb. 15 in Montreal, and the United States at TD Garden in Boston Feb. 17.
His immediate focus is on the Flames, of course - the team is back on home ice Thursday evening against St. Louis (TICKETS) - but after a series of conflicts that ranged from World Junior snubs, to the birth of his children, to the Stanley Cup Playoffs, Andersson is eager to make this call-up count.
"It’s the first time in - what - eight years that it’s best on best," he beamed.
"I’m super-excited about it."
