Victor Eklund might be exactly what your team needs at the 2025 NHL Draft

Jun 2, 2025, 10:52 EDT

Victor Eklund might be exactly what your team needs at the 2025 NHL Draft

Credit: Steven Ellis/Daily Faceoff

Google Maps won’t even give you the physical distance between Stockholm, Sweden and San Jose, California. But you could expect a 14-plus hour flight and a nine-hour time zone change between them.

Despite that, 2025 NHL Draft prospect Victor Eklund and his brother, San Jose Sharks forward William Eklund, still like to keep in touch during the hockey season.

“We usually play some NHL, but we play a bit of everything, like Fortnite and Call of Duty,” Victor said while smiling. He also wanted the world to know he’s better at video games, too.

Now, will he be the better NHLer? That’s up to him to decide.

Having a brother who also had NHL aspirations growing up only fueled Victor’s desire to become the best athlete he could.

“He wouldn’t let anything slide, even though I was younger,” the younger Eklund said. “He was competitive, he wouldn’t let me win.”

Eklund is coming off his first full season of playing pro men’s hockey with Djurgardens – a team he helped get up to the top division in Sweden for 2025-26. Eklund was the only draft eligible prospect in the Allsvenskan to register 30 points, and he was one of two, including teammate Anton Frondell, to register more than seven. Eklund’s output is the third best by a draft-eligible prospect in league history, behind Elias Pettersson (41 points in 2016-17) and Alexander Wennberg (32 in 2012-13).

Playing against men is one thing, but thriving is another. It was a big adjustment for Eklund, but he took it all in stride.

“Playing against pro players, there are a lot of obstructions and you need to think more and play bigger compared to the U-18 level,” Eklund said earlier in the season. “You just kind of go with the flow.”

Eklund was also a leading figure on the Swedish World Junior team. Despite being one of the younger forwards, he had six points in seven games. Sweden missed out on a medal, but Eklund turned heads as one of the team’s most important set-up men.

“He was already high on everyone’s radar heading into (Ottawa), but he elevated his game there,” one scout said. “His confidence was brimming.”

There are some similarities between the two Eklunds. They’re both undersized but make up for it with their dynamism. I’d argue Victor is better there, though. He exploits open space with his advanced skating, both in his edge work and with his top speed. Eklund’s creativity brings back memories of watching William at the same age, but Victor’s shot is both more accurate and powerful.

Eklund personally likes to watch Florida Panthers star Matthew Tkachuk, citing his play along the boards, competitive nature and leadership qualities. If you’re looking for a closer stylistic comparison, try New Jersey Devils forward Jesper Bratt. Both are on the smaller side but have excellent offensive instincts and never give up on a play.

Eklund moves quickly and doesn’t waste any movement, making him difficult to move away from the crease. While it was a small sample size, Eklund was a standout at the World Junior Summer Showcase last year – the event that kicked off his draft season – because nobody knew how to handle him in the slot. He was engaged in every physical battle and rarely lost.

And that was before he ever spent a full year playing against men. He always seemed so advanced for his age group, so it’s no surprise that he kept punching up all season long.

Eklund can get caught trying to outplay himself at times. He’s got the skill to pull off some eye-opening moves but he sometimes needs to just simplify things. It’s not a bad thing that he can beat pros with his talent alone but NHL defenders will make life much more difficult for you if you keep it up.

Eklund is a projected top 10 pick, with some scouts wondering if he could go as high as No. 5. He’s not your prototypical sub-six-foot winger – his competitive nature allows him to beat just about anyone. He’s a right-shot forward who loves to expose goalies on the left wing, but he’s willing to shoot from anywhere. The more you watch Eklund, the more you see the confidence in his game.

Scouts love him. And it won’t be too long until an NHL fanbase does, too.

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Victor Eklund might be exactly what your team needs at the 2025 NHL Draft

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