A small forward with skill who might just fall a little below this ranking…
Welcome back to our feature on draft profiles for projected top picks in the upcoming 2025 NHL draft. Catch up with the previous ones here:
No 1: Matthew Schaefer
No 2: Michael Misa
No. 3: Porter Martone
No. 4: Anton Frondell
No. 5: James Hagens
No. 6: Caleb Desnoyers
No. 7: Jake O’Brien
No. 8: Roger McQueen
For the rankings, we have turned to the venerable Bob McKenzie from TSN for his listing of players. McKenzie’s list is typically in-tune with the NHL, because his rankings are an average that comes from surveying 10 active NHL scouts. As such, the list is set as follows for players we will look to profile in the coming weeks to spread some awareness and knowledge for Pittsburgh NHL fans to get to know some of the top prospects.
No. 9: Victor Eklund, 5’11” 161 pounds, RW, Djurgardens (SHL)
McKenzie’s midseason notes on Eklund succinctly tells the tale of one of the more interesting prospects in this draft:
The younger brother of San Jose young gun William Eklund, Victor is a sub-six-foot winger who plays a speedy, high-energy two-way game with a nice skill level. He projects as a top nine NHL forward who could elevate to top six.
Aside from being under 6’ and currently at a light 160 pounds, Eklund is everything teams want. He’s got great skill and really works all over the ice. Eklund had a comparable or perhaps even a better season in many regards to his teammate and fellow high draft peer Anton Frondell.
Broad Street Hockey talked about how Eklund’s ability for the “little things” to help drive and compliment Frondell.
we talked about Anton Frondell’s biggest weakness as a playdriver and in carrying the puck with a purpose through the neutral zone and into the offensive zone. Well, Eklund seemed to be the perfect linemate for a player like Frondell this past season. There are so many Djurgårdens highlights that see Eklund do all the little stuff mentioned above – strong skating through the neutral zone, pressure along the offensive boards, good stick work to force a turnover. Eklund, in my eyes, was the engine that made that line run on most occasions, and Frondell’s raw tools and goal-scoring ability were a beneficiary. That’s not to take away from Frondell (scoring tools/ability is important!), but to say that the fundamentals of Eklund’s game are some of the strongest in the draft class.
Eklund is getting lost in the shuffle at the top of the draft due to the preponderance of centers available at the top of this class. It’s possible, if not even likely, that several ranked below him (like defenseman Radim Mrtka and rising center Brady Martin, who we will profile later on) will hop Eklund on draft day.
In that realm, the best case scenario for Eklund might be to draw a comparable to Seth Jarvis, who was picked 13th overall in his draft class. Jarvis is also a sub-6’ forward who has fit in just fine and found his way around the ice to become a very quality young forward. Eklund has that potential and capability given his skills and play style. Some NHL clubs with high picks may look to prioritize other areas like a center, defender or some size but Eklund could make a team in the 9-13 range very happy down the line if he continues to develop and showcase his abilities like he did in 2024-25.
They said it
The younger brother of Sharks first-rounder William Eklund, Victor gets above-average grades for his smarts, skill and skating, but he’s also a standout competitor who works and plays hard for a 5-foot-11 winger. He wins races. He keeps his feet moving. He gets inside body positioning. He can play the bumper or the flank on the power play. He finishes his checks. He’s got great edges and handles, and a quick and accurate wrister. And he plays an intuitive, heady game on and off the puck. I think he’s got the tools to develop into a nice top-six player in the NHL. He’s a smallish winger, but as with William, Victor has proven through smarts, skill, good feel for the game and determination — William was always a determined player, but Victor checks that box with even more emphasis — that he can make it work. I don’t expect him to get picked as high as his brother, who was drafted seventh by the Sharks in 2021, but he looks like a worthwhile top-10 candidate in this class to me. He’s a very good, likable hockey player.
I’m not totally sure exactly how much scoring he’ll do in the NHL, but I could very easily see him being an insanely effective possession player that is a thorn in the opponent’s shoes with relentless physicality, pace, and speed that is tough to counter. He’s a heck of a shooter but his shot selection needs work. He’s a heck of a playmaker but his timing and ability to slow the game down a bit is also a little deficient. That said, he still drives very very good results in a pretty big role on a men’s team in Sweden. Continuously controlling about 2/3 of the possession and shot attempts from scoring areas while on the ice, Eklund is effective, hard-working, and will endear himself to fans very quickly. He’s very different to his brother William, but they could offset each other very easily should Victor land in San Jose. He’s an excellent open ice skater with huge efficiency everywhere, and the only real area that needs improvement is in the offensive zone especially with regards to his shooting. This is not an uncommon issue for young players playing in the men’s level, but it’s a roadblock to projectable scoring in the NHL. Nevertheless, I love Eklund, and I know the Djurgårdens crew does as well. I could see him slip on draft day like his brother did, but I could easily see him be undervalued like his brother was.
Eklund is so, so skilled. He makes things happen with the puck that very few can, and he’s got an excellent shot, to boot. I loved him at the World Juniors because it felt like he was always involved in the puck play. He might not be big at 5-foot-11, but he does have some decent strength. Defensively, he needs work, but it shouldn’t stop him from playing high in the lineup. His skating continues to get better to the point where it might end up being a strength of his in the NHL.
Another tenacious, fast-moving winger who thinks the game at a high level. He can turn on a dime, handle the puck in tight areas, and has a deceptive shot. Away from the puck, he can find open ice without sacrificing positional play.
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Eklund is the type of player that scouts have fallen in love with and rave about, and it’s easy to see why. He is a very visible player and makes his team better all over the ice. In the broader scope, managers and decision makers will be a little more leery and slower to come around on. Eklund doesn’t play center, and he isn’t big. When a team has a top 3 or 5 or 10 pick they have to consider value and project what they could get when they have almost everything to choose from at the top of the draft.
That’s where a team like the Penguins at 11 or even as low as Detroit at 13 (two common landing places for Eklund in mock drafts) could benefit by sweeping up the “leftovers”. If you could re-draft the first round of 2020 today, where does Seth Jarvis (13) go now? Maybe eighth or ninth? It’s early but the same could be said for a team drafting Eklund in the 9-13 range ending up with a better NHL player than he was a top-end prospect on draft day.
Similarly, in a perfect world, the Pens would probably prefer to come away with a well-regarded center or defenseman with their pick this year, considering their prospect pool is shallow in both areas. However, there is a very good chance they will have Eklund around as a possibility to weigh against if they think he can translate his game into being a good enough option to take when they’re on the clock.