CHICAGO — The Ducks will return forward Rickard Rakell to his junior team, the Plymouth Whalers of the Ontario Hockey League, according to a source with knowledge of the situation.

Rakell, 19, made the team out of its brief training camp and appeared in his first four NHL games, going scoreless with a minus-2 rating. The Ducks are very high on their 2011 first-round pick but did not put him in their lineup over the last seven games.

Coach Bruce Boudreau said they wanted to keep Rakell around for a bit “to see what the NHL is like to make him hungry to want to be here.”

“I think he learned a lot,” Boudreau continued. “I think he’s better prepared now. When he comes into camp next year, he’s coming here to win a job. Not to just turn pro.”

In doing this now, the Ducks won’t burn the first year of the three-year entry level contract that Rakell signed in July. Rakell began his third year with the Whalers while the NHL was locked out and had 13 goals and 17 assists in 32 games.

The club filled Rakell’s spot on the roster by recalling center Peter Holland from Norfolk of the AHL. Rakell took part in his final practice with the Ducks until his season in Plymouth ends and said what he learned most was how those in the league prepared for games.

“It is the best league in the world and you really notice that,” he said. “People that are here haven’t come to this level by doing nothing. It’s nice to surriound yourself with those kind of people.”

Rakell believes that the experience will help him for next season when he tries to stick with the Ducks.

“Once you get a taste of here, you always want to stay,” Rakell said. “I think this could a be a good way for me. We can have a good run with Plymouth and we‘ll see what happens after that. I’m just going to focus on keep working out, keep trying to get better.

“I feel like I’m close. Just little details that I have to work on. I hope I’ll be back soon.”