The tournament, which began last week, is being held in Paris and Cologne, Germany.
Lundqvist, who said he made his decision Wednesday night after spending the day analyzing the team's six-game series defeat against the Ottawa Senators, said multiple factors played into his decision.
"My brother [Joel] is the captain there and I haven't played with him for 12 years," Lundqvist said. "Also the fact that we're not part of the Olympics. I see this as an opportunity to play for my country one more time and with my brother. I'm going to go there and try and finish really strong this season and I'm going to reflect."
Another reason he's heading overseas for more hockey? He said he expected to play deeper into the spring with the Rangers, and that there's "definitely gas left in the tank here."
"I was hoping to play for another month," he said. "That was our goal. That was my mindset. It was very disappointing to end the season like we did. We've got to accept it. Obviously it's over here.
"The last two days," he continued, "I was just thinking about what could I have done differently, what could I have done better and I probably won't have all the answers for a few weeks, and then continue to think about this."
This will mark Lundqvist's fourth time representing Sweden at the World Championships, and the first time since 2008. Lundqvist backstopped Sweden to a Silver Medal in 2004, and finished fourth in 2005 and 2008. He has 14 wins in 22 games.
