The Ontario Hockey League today announced that forward Rickard Rakell of the Plymouth Whalers is the OHL Player of the Week with six goals and three assists for nine points in four games along with a plus-minus rating of plus-6 for the week ending February 24.

Rakell recorded four multi-point games and helped the Whalers collect three wins last week clinching a berth in the OHL Playoffs for the 22nd straight year which is the league’s longest active streak. On Monday afternoon Rakell scored a goal and an assist as part of a 10-2 win over the Sarnia Sting before scoring his second career hat-trick on Friday night as third star of a 9-1 win over the Windsor Spitfires. The Whalers took on the Sting again on Saturday night with Rakell claiming first star honours with a goal and an assist in a 4-0 victory to extend the club’s winning-streak to eight games. The Spitfires put an end to the Whalers’ streak on Sunday but couldn’t keep Rakell off the scoresheet as he notched his 20th goal of the season and added an assist despite the 6-5 loss.

Rakell, a 19-year-old from Sollentuna, Sweden, is playing in his third OHL season with the Whalers. Anaheim’s first round pick in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft, Rakell played four games with the Ducks this season before returning to the Whalers where he has 42 points in 38 games.

Also considered for the award this week was Charles Sarault of the Sarnia Sting who had 10 assists in four games, and Joseph Cramarossa of the Belleville Bulls who scored twice with seven assists for nine points in four games played. In goal, the Bulls’ Malcolm Subban went 3-0-0-0 including a shutout victory with a goals-against-average of 1.67 and save percentage of .952.

Rakell collected 1-1=2 points and was the game's first star in Plymouth's 4-0 win over Sarnia on Saturday, Feb. 23.

WATCH his postgame interview below.