Zetterberg, 36, will be making his 13th international appearance for Sweden and his second as captain. He was named captain of Sweden for the 2014 Sochi Olympics but left the team after one game because of a back injury.

Detroit Red Wings forward Henrik Zetterberg was named captain of Team Sweden for the World Cup of Hockey 2016 on Wednesday.

"It's a very special thing to be the captain for this team," Zetterberg said at a Team Sweden event in Stockholm. "I'm honored. It's something I'll always remember."

Zetterberg is the only Team Sweden player with World Cup playing experience; he had a goal and an assist in four games the 2004 tournament. Goalie Henrik Lundqvist (New York Rangers) and forwards Henrik Sedin and Daniel Sedin (Vancouver Canucks) were on Sweden's 2004 roster but did not play.

Zetterberg took over as captain of the Red Wings in 2012 after defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom, who is an adviser for Team Sweden, retired. He has 836 points in 918 games over 13 NHL seasons, all with Detroit.

"There really is no other candidate than Zetterberg," Team Sweden and Red Wings defenseman Nicklas Kronwall said. "I know him from Detroit, and there's no better. He's the obvious choice."

The World Cup will be played from Sept. 17 to Oct. 1 at Air Canada Centre in Toronto. The tournament will be broadcast by ESPN in the United States and Sportsnet and TVA Sports in Canada.