Islanders snag Sweden's Victor Eklund with No. 16 pick

The New York Islanders selected forward Victor Eklund with the 16th overall pick in the 2025 NHL Draft on Friday.

Eklund performed extremely well as an undersized forward despite playing against older competition in Sweden's second-best professional league. He possesses great speed and skill, but what scouts seem to love most about Eklund is his competitiveness. That was a major reason why he was selected to play for Sweden at the 2025 World Junior Championship over the likes of fellow draft-eligible player Anton Frondell. He tallied six points in seven games at the tournament.

Eklund is a winger through and through, earning comparisons to Travis Konecny and Jesper Bratt as well as his older brother, San Jose Sharks forward William Eklund.

What they're saying

"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," wrote The Athletic's Scott Wheeler, who ranked Eklund as his No. 8 prospect overall. "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."

"Eklund has stood out all season against older competition. ... (He's) an outstanding skater and has shown no problem handling physical play well despite his size," NHL.com's Adam Kimelman said.