It’s that time of the year for The Win Column’s NHL Draft rankings and draft profiles! Using our very own consolidated rankings, we will be taking a look at the top 50 prospects for this year’s draft. The 2025 NHL draft will take place on June 27 and 28 at the Peacock Theatre in Los Angeles. The NHL is testing a decentralized draft this summer.
Following our first Swedish prospect is our second Swedish prospect, Victor Eklund. Brother of San Jose Sharks forward William Eklund, Victor has had eyes on him for a while. He climbed the rankings throughout the year and has placed himself where many have been expecting him to be for years.
Who is Victor Eklund?
| Player | Position | Handedness | Height | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Victor Eklund | LW | R | 5’11” | 161lbs |
Eklund’s on-ice production
| Year | Draft Relative | League | Team | GP | G | A | P |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020–21 | D-4 | U16 Div. 1 | Djurgardens IF U16 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 9 |
| 2021–22 | D-3 | U16 Div. 1 | Djurgardens IF U16 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 4 |
| U16 SM | Djurgardens IF U16 | 8 | 3 | 6 | 9 | ||
| J18 Region | Djurgardens IF J18 | 14 | 5 | 14 | 19 | ||
| J18 Nationell | Djurgardens IF J18 | 16 | 3 | 6 | 9 | ||
| 2022–23 | D-2 | J18 Region | Djurgardens IF J18 | 16 | 8 | 8 | 16 |
| J18 Nationell | Djurgardens IF J18 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 25 | ||
| J20 Nationell | Djurgardens IF J20 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 2 | ||
| 2023–24 | D-1 | J18 Region | Djurgardens IF J18 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| J18 Nationell | Djurgardens IF J18 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 4 | ||
| J20 Nationell | Djurgardens IF J20 | 30 | 7 | 18 | 25 | ||
| HockeyAllsvenkan | Djurgardens IF | 15 | 1 | 3 | 4 | ||
| WJC-18 | Sweden U18 | 7 | 4 | 2 | 6 | ||
| 2024–25 | D+0 | J20 Nationell | Djurgardens IF J20 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| HockeyAllsvenkan | Djurgardens IF | 42 | 19 | 12 | 31 | ||
| WJC-20 | Sweden U20 | 7 | 2 | 4 | 6 |
Eklund’s career can be tracked all the way back to his D-4 year when he was 14 years old. Starting off by lighting up the U16 level, Eklund worked his way up the ranks of Djurgardens IF’s system.
Finding success very early into his career with Djurgardens’ J18 teams, Eklund was being presented as a very promising project. He began by scoring 19 points in 14 games and an additional nine points in 16 games to bring the year total to 28 points in 30 games.
The following year, Eklund stayed at the J18 level and dominated even more. This time, his splits were 25 in 14 and 16 in 16, accumulating 41 points in just 30 games. Of those 41 points, 21 were goals. His high-end performance earned him a seven-game stint with the J20 team. However, he only put up two points in those games.
In his 2023–24 season, Eklund continued to prove he was too good for the J18 level with an extra four-point performance before being fully promoted. Up another level, production would continue to come with 25 points in 30 games with Djurgardens’ J20 team. A performance well enough to earn the honours of a professional hockey stint.
Eklund would play 15 games with Djurgardens’ pro team in HockeyAllsvenskan. Four points were the only production Eklund could find, but he was still full of promise. Eklund would also help Sweden achieve bronze at the U18 World Juniors with six points in seven games.
Now, onto his draft season that just concluded. A continuing trend with Eklund is that of promotion, as he found himself on Djurgardens professional team for the entire year. Eklund has put up an outstanding 31 points—19 goals and 12 assists—in 42 games in the HockeyAllsvenskan.
The 18-year-old isn’t very big but has been able to stand his ground against men and very obviously produce. Earlier in the season, Eklund would again represent his country at the U20 World Juniors. Unfortunately, no luck in medals this time around, losing to Czechia in the bronze medal game. Eklund scored six points in seven games once again.
Eklund has certainly risen in his own way. At first, many paid attention to him because of who his brother was, but now, Eklund has made a name for himself.
Eklund’s strengths
Skating
For a guy of his stature, you would hope Eklund would at least have good skating. He outdoes that good ranking. Victor Eklund is a top-end skater. The whole package, when it comes to moving his feet and getting around the ice. Eklund can confuse opponents with quick edgework and changes to his direction.
He moves around the zone smoothly and effortlessly, with the ability to guide his feet so well. It helps that his speed is also top-notch. A very speedy winger who has the ability to blow past opponents or be the first to open opportunities. These traits make him deadly in the transition game and a viable option in the offensive sense. It’s deceptive, threatening, and fast-paced, all mixed into one.
Work-Ethic/Motor
Despite being 161 lbs, Eklund is a dog. There isn’t a shift that Eklund takes off. Whether it be on the physical, offensive, or defensive side of the ice. He’s relentless on the ice, constantly moving, looking for opportunities to make things happen. It could be positioning himself for an open pass, hunting down the puck, or battling opponents and stripping possession. In his small size, Eklund consistently wins battles.
He uses the skills that don’t take size to his advantage, whether it be a strong stick, his speed, or his creativity. Eklund gives 100% of single shift and is sure to be one of his coaches’ favourite players.
Overall Offensive Game
It is very difficult to find something that Eklund doesn’t excel at in the offensive side of the game. He brings the entire package of shot, vision, creativity, IQ, etc. Eklund makes the smart plays and the highlight-reel plays, or both in one. His shot is good enough to be a goal-scoring threat in the NHL. It won’t be one to put up 40+ goals each year, but deadly enough to be a consistent 30-goal scorer at least.
He moves himself into lanes that allow his teammates to find him and fires the puck fast, hard, and accurately. Mixed in with his motor, Eklund often finds himself in tight for goals. His vision, passing, and creativity shine just as much. He finds his teammates in lanes that you didn’t think were possible and sets up great scoring chances.
Simple plays are also a treat of Eklund’s, and he doesn’t hesitate to use the effective play. Mix this with his great set of hands, and you have a top-end puck mover. Knowing when to do what in the offensive zone allows all of his other traits to shine and make him the offensive weapon that he is.
Eklund’s areas of improvement
Physical consistency
While Eklund is constantly praised for not being scared to play bigger than his size, sometimes it still bites him. Overall, his consistency lacks in many of the physical areas of the ice. He can sometimes be outmuscled or battled, and it’s not due to a lack of effort but just his true size.
Gliding in the defensive zone can also be seen, and it can leave you wondering where that offensive motor just disappeared to. With a few more pounds, Eklund can go from a solid physical presence to a great one.
Overdoing plays
With many players like Eklund, a common weakness is the ability to overdo their plays. It just comes with being offensively confident. Rushed passes that lead to giveaways and possible chances the other way are usually seen with young offensive dynamos. It’s a real matter of trying to do too much and generate something that isn’t there. The struggle will be fine in HockeyAllsvenkan, but the NHL is a different beast to rushed offensive plays.
Eklund’s comparables
A usual comparable for Eklund is his fellow countryman, Jesper Bratt. I think this is incredibly fair. Both play their off wing and are not incredibly big in size. However, they make up for the lack of size in offensive talent and work ethic. Elite skating, plus a good shot, nifty hands, and solid playmaking traits, make the two highly comparable.
Other players I think Eklund can draw comparisons to are two Carolina Hurricanes in Logan Stankoven and Seth Jarvis. Bratt is more the comparison for the raw skill, but Stankoven and Jarvis fit the undersized, talented winger who plays bigger than his size to a tee.
Fit with the Flames
While the Calgary Flames have tons of winger prospects and are in much more need of a centre, Eklund would still be a very good fit. While not top of the top, Eklund would still bring the dynamism that the Flames’ forward pool is missing.
He’s a versatile option being on his off wing, and his right-shot handedness is a need in the Flames forward group, as silly as it is to say.
Summary
Victor Eklund is a great prospect who’ll go very early in the upcoming draft. He’s been lighting up Sweden for as long as we can remember and has had eyes on him for a while, thanks to family. A relentless motor mixed with high-end offensive traits makes Eklund a prospect to be sought after. He’s not as good as the guys ranked above him, but he’s still a prospect you can walk out of the draft with and be very happy with yourself.
Risk: 1.5/5
Reward: 4/5
NHL comparable: Jesper Bratt or Logan Stankoven
Projection: Very good, top-six winger
Check out all of The Win Column’s individual player profiles of selected 2025 NHL Draft prospects:
Matthew Schaefer | Michael Misa | James Hagens | Porter Martone | Anton Frondell | Victor Eklund | Roger McQueen | Caleb Desnoyers | Jackson Smith | Jake O’Brien | Carter Bear | Radim Mrtka | Lynden Lakovic | Brady Martin | Justin Carbonneau | Malcolm Spence | Cameron Reid | Logan Hensler | Cameron Schmidt | Ben Kindel | Kashawn Aitcheson | Cullen Potter | Braeden Cootes | Ivan Ryabkin | Blake Fiddler | Cole Reschny | Joshua Ravensbergen | Bill Zonnon | William Moore | Jack Nesbitt | Jack Murtagh | Milton Gastrin | Sascha Boumedienne | Henry Brzustewicz | Adam Benak | Shane Vansaghi | Cole McKinney | Jakob Ihs-Wozniak | Ryker Lee | Ben Kevan | Michal Svrcek | Arvid Drott | Conrad Fondrk | Charlie Trethewey | Luca Romano
