With the 16th overall pick in the 2024 NHL Entry Draft, the New York Islanders have selected Victor Eklund from Djurgårdens IF of the HockeyAllsvenskan.
About Victor Eklund
When it comes to raw offensive talent, Victor Eklund might have the best toolkit of the 2025 NHL Draft class. He is an undersized but highly skilled player with a non-stop motor who knows how to use his skating prowess and shot to score efficiently on the breakout and in front of the net. Despite being undersized by NHL standards, he’s shown a willingness to play in the dirty zones of the ice in Sweden, which could allow his game to transition to North America as more than just a one-trick scoring winger. In fact, he’s modeling his game after Matthew Tkachuk, who is a heart-and-soul kind of player every general manager dreams of on draft day.
Related: 2025 NHL Draft: Live Tracker
While some may view drafting an undersized forward at this level of the draft as a risk, Eklund has enough talent and hockey sense to make him a top-line cornerstone in the NHL should he round out his overall toolkit. Yes, he still needs to develop his defensive game, and he has to prove that he can keep his scoring pace up against men, but these aspects can be developed with time and structure.
THW Prospect Profile Excerpt
Eklund finished the 2024-25 regular season with 19 goals and 12 assists for 31 points in 42 contests. For someone his age, that’s a lot. He joins five other draft-year players in league history with a point-per-game rate of 0.60 or better across at least 20 games. They are the following: Elias Pettersson, teammate Anton Frondell, William Nylander, Alex Wennberg, and David Pastrňák.
He shot at a 17.1% clip this season, and that’s in an environment where the average shooting percentage is about 10%. This can be interpreted as “his scoring output is unsustainable”, but he seems to be a genuinely efficient scorer. Eklund is very effective in the net-front for his size, and showed promise from the bumper spot on Djurgårdens IF’s power play. That’s not for no reason. He locates scoring areas and presents himself as a target for his teammates to hit.
While Eklund’s shooting potential is exciting, that’s not where his strengths end. In particular, he has some of the best vision in the class. Not only does he see opportunities for scoring chances that most other players don’t, but he has the talent to make what he pictures a reality. In situations where one player might opt for a shot on a 2-on-2 rush, Eklund might instead delay to create a 4-on-3. During tame offensive zone possessions, he may draw a couple of puck-watching defenders to him and thread a perfect pass to a teammate. Hockey’s all about creating space, and that’s a strong suit of his.
Additionally, Eklund’s competitiveness is admirable. Again, he may be a smaller player, but he’ll surprise you with his determination. He wins quite a few puck battles, making him an excellent support player for his linemates. He’s not afraid to challenge players bigger than him if it means gaining possession. On and off the puck, Eklund is a nightmare for the opposition.
Continue reading the full player profile here.
How This Affects the Islanders’ Plans
In many ways, Eklund is a very safe pick for New York because they know exactly what his near future holds. For the 2025-26 season, he will be playing against men in the Swedish Hockey League (SHL), where he can cut his teeth against some of the top competition in the world. Then, after developing his toolkit and hopefully adding more size to his frame, he can be ready to make the transition to North American ice.
Related: 2025 NHL Draft Guide
Realistically, Eklund will be a project player for the Islanders. However, there’s nothing wrong with this, as they are a team that can give him the time and space to develop into a top-six scoring force. Even at the worst, he can add valuable scoring depth to the franchise, which will hopefully need players like this for a playoff run in the near future.