Fanny Rask

Fanny Victoria Camia Rask (born 21 May 1991) is a Swedish ice hockey forward and member of the Swedish national team, currently playing in the Swiss Women's League (SWHL A) with HC Ambrì-Piotta Girls. She has represented Sweden in over 100 international matches, including the Winter Olympic Games in the 2014 and 2018 as well as at three IIHF Women's World Championships.

Fanny Rask
Born (1991-05-21) 21 May 1991
Leksand, Sweden
Height 1.68 m (5 ft 6 in)
Weight 66 kg (146 lb; 10 st 6 lb)
Position Left Wing
Shoots Left
SWHL A team
Former teams		 HC Ambrì-Piotta Girls
National team  Sweden
Playing career 2005–present

Club career

Rask played on boy's teams in her youth, including playing on the same team as her brother Victor. The two would also play bandy with each other in their home garden. She spent a season and a half playing in Örebro when she was 14 before joining Linköping HC Dam when Riksserien was created as the top flight of women's hockey in Sweden in 2007.[1]

In 2011, she joined AIK Hockey Dam. In 2012–13, she finished third on the team in scoring as AIK won the Riksserien championship.[2]

In a 2014 interview, she stated that she had considered moving to North America to play college hockey, but decided against it. She also voiced her support for the introduction of checking in women's hockey.[3]

In 2015, after four years with AIK, she signed with HV71 Dam.[4] She scored a career-best 40 points in 36 games in her first season with the club, leading HV71 in scoring and finishing 13th in the league in scoring. Her point total barely dropped in 2016–17, down to 39, as she scored a career-best 20 goals, leading HV71 to the SDHL championship finals, where they lost to Djurgårdens IF.

On the 10th of January 2019, she was suspended for seven games by the SDHL after an open ice hit on Anna Borgqvist, the second longest suspension in SDHL history.[5] 13 days later, after appealing to the National Sports Board, the suspension was lifted.[6]

After four seasons at HV71, Rask returned to AIK for the 2019–20 season, despite speculation linking her to Luleå HF/MSSK.[7][8] She scored 28 points in 36 games that year, good for second on the team in scoring, as AIK finished in 5th. She would add another 3 points in 2 playoff games as AIK were eliminated in the quarterfinals by Djurgården.

In July 2020, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Rask announced her retirement from hockey via an Instagram post in which she voiced her frustration with the pace of professionalization in women's hockey and her exhaustion with the financial insecurity of being an SDHL player.[9]

What I dreamed of in my youth was to become a professional [ice hockey player]. That the [women’s] league would grow to such an extent that we could live on hockey. (No, not millions, everyone knows it is unreasonable still.) But I have always thought that I would be able to join-in when we become professionals. But it has not happened and I feel that we are at a standstill... And I don't see that there will be any change. Of course, I know that things are happening but for me it is going too slowly and I am incredibly uncertain that it will ever happen... So maybe I chose the wrong path, had the wrong dream and too high of demands. I hope there are some people who still have the strength to carry on and who work for a future for women's hockey. My energy has run out, I'm empty and I'm sorry.[10]

After spending the 2020–21 season away from hockey, Rask returned to the SDHL late in the 2021–22 season, playing five regular season games with Djurgårdens IF Dam. She remained with Djurgårdens and played the full 2022–23 with the team.

Her first contract outside of Sweden was signed in July 2023 with HC Ambrì-Piotta Girls in the Swiss Women's League.

International career

Rask was selected to the roster of the Swedish national team playing in the women's ice hockey tournament at the 2014 Winter Olympics. She played in all six games but recorded the lowest icetime of any Swedish forward.[11] Rask was selected to play for Sweden in the women's ice hockey tournament at the 2018 Winter Olympics. She played in all six games and notched six points (2 goals + 4 assists), leading all Swedish skaters in the tournament.[12]

She competed for Sweden at the IIHF World Women's Championship in 2016 and 2017. She scored 4 points in 5 games at the 2019 IIHF Women's World Championship, when Sweden finished in 9th and were relegated from the top IIHF division for the first time in history.

She took part in the 2019 players' strike of the national team, demanding better conditions and investment from the Swedish Ice Hockey Federation. She returned to the squad after the end of the strike, stating that "important steps have been made in the discussions."[13][14]

Following her return from retirement in 2022, she rejoined the national team and appeared in all three tournaments of the 2022–23 Women's Euro Hockey Tour.

Junior international

Rask made two appearances for the Sweden women's national under-18 ice hockey team, at the IIHF World Women's U18 Championships in 2008 and 2009, including winning a bronze medal in the 2009 event.[15][16][17]

Personal life

Rask comes from a family of hockey players. Her younger brother, Victor Rask, was selected in the second round (42nd overall) of the 2011 NHL Entry Draft by the Carolina Hurricanes and currently plays in the Swiss National League with HC Fribourg-Gottéron. Her uncle, Peter Emanuelsson, briefly coached in the Hockeytvåan and her cousins, Kasper and Simon Emanuelsson, played in lower-level elite leagues.

In 2017, Rask was able to become a professional athlete through grants from the Swedish Olympic Committee in combination with her SDHL salary and some financial support from her brother, Victor.[18] She wore the same number on her jersey as Victor, number 49.[19]

Career statistics

Club statistics

Note: Riksserien changed its name to the SDHL in 2016.

Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GPGAPtsPIM GPGAPtsPIM
2007–08 Linköping HC Riksserien 14751212 42134
2008–09 Linköping HC Riksserien 2045940 523510
2009–10 Linköping HC Riksserien 146111720 -----
2010–11 Leksands IF Riksserien 28671322 21122
2011–12 AIK IF Riksserien 2813183114 21232
2012–13 AIK IF Riksserien 289132214 30110
2013–14 AIK IF Riksserien 2810182824 20004
2014–15 AIK IF Riksserien 261541922 50114
2015–16 HV71 Riksserien 3616244046 31120
2016–17 HV71 SDHL 3620193918 64484
2017–18 HV71 SDHL 348172536 20110
2018–19 HV71 SDHL 338152332 70774
2019–20 AIK IF SDHL 3611172818 21232
SDHL totals 361133173306318 4312243636

International career

Through 2013–14 season

Year Team Event GP G A Pts PIM
2008 Sweden U18 U18 5 0 1 1 0
2009 Sweden U18 U18 5 1 2 3 2
2014 Sweden Oly 6 0 0 0 0

References
  1. "Landslagsstjärnan hyllar SDHL: "En positiv grej att vi har utländska toppspelare i vår liga"". Hockeysverige. Retrieved 31 October 2020.
  2. "Rask hoppas på festlig vår". GP. 10 March 2015. Retrieved 31 October 2020.
  3. "Hon vill se tacklingar i damhockeyn". Hockeysverige. Retrieved 31 October 2020.
  4. "NHL-stjärnans syster till nykomlingen". Hockeysverige. Retrieved 31 October 2020.
  5. "SDHL: Fanny Rask stängs av i sju matcher efter tacklingen". expressen.se. 10 January 2019. Retrieved 31 October 2020.
  6. "SDHL: Fanny Rask frias från sin avstängning". expressen.se. 23 January 2019. Retrieved 31 October 2020.
  7. "Landslagsstjärnan har gjort sitt klubbval: "Kändes väldigt rätt just nu"". Hockeysverige. Retrieved 31 October 2020.
  8. "Stjärnan nobbar Luleå: "Vi var intresserade"". NSD. Retrieved 31 October 2020.
  9. Johansson, Anton (10 July 2020). "Fanny Rask slutar: "Jag är tom och ledsen"". Aftonbladet (in Swedish). Retrieved 13 July 2020.
  10. "Fanny Rask on Instagram: "Den här våren gav mig tid att fundera, på riktigt. Hur jag mår, vart jag står och vart jag är påväg…"". Instagram (in Swedish). 10 July 2020. Retrieved 13 July 2020.
  11. "IIHF – Team Sweden Stats – 2014 Olympics" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 13 February 2018. Retrieved 30 December 2017.
  12. "Profiles of Notable Women in Hockey". Hockey Hall of Fame. Retrieved 13 July 2020.
  13. "Damkronorna • Bojkotten över – Konflikten med förbundet är löst". expressen.se. 15 October 2019. Retrieved 31 October 2020.
  14. "Spelarna nöjda: "En otrolig lättnad"". GP. 15 October 2019. Retrieved 31 October 2020.
  15. IIHF (2011). IIHF Media Guide & Record Book 2012. Fenn/M&S. p. 557. ISBN 978-0-7710-9598-6.
  16. IIHF - Team Sweden Stats - 2008 U-18 World Championship
  17. IIHF – Team Sweden Stats – 2009 U-18 World Championship
  18. "Fanny Rask". NBC Olympics. Retrieved 13 July 2020.
  19. "sports/nhl/carolina-hurricanes/article50227825". newsobserver.com. Retrieved 31 October 2020.
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