The 2024 draft class featured a rare year in which Sweden didn’t have a first round pick for the first time in 15 years.
With three players from their promotion and also Allsvenskan winning roster possibly heading to the NHL Draft, it appears the Swedish club Djurgårdens IF has taken that particular fun fact personally. One of their most impressive talents is a young winger who made himself invaluable to the main club in their championship run; Viktor Eklund.
Who is He?
Viktor Eklund is a Swedish-Born Left Winger, who measures up at 5’11, and weighs in at 161 pounds. He shoots right-handed, and he plays for the Swedish team Djurgårdens IF; who recently was promoted to the top tier of the Swedish hockey pyramid after winning the 2nd tier altogether; the SHL.
What’s he good at?
Driving Play, and doing it all over the ice.
Eklund is a lot like a number of players in this draft in that he’s got a tendency to keep his feet moving at all times. Unlike a lot of other players in this draft, he was doing it all against grown-ass, mortgage-and-kids having men. The only other prospects who can say that this year is his teammate Anton Frondell; whom he occasionally played with on Djurgårdens, and even he missed some time.
Eklund has what you’d expect from a Swedish prospect; smooth, strong skating that looks effortless, a high amount of stick skill that he can maneuver the puck with in tight spaces and in open ice with exceptional dexterity, and an exceptional wristshot that requires almost no effort for him to pull out and he catches plenty of goaltenders looking. What sets him apart on the other hand, is that he shows an advanced understanding of the offensive side of the ice, and a complete inability to feel fear.
Eklund loves getting to the dangerous areas of the ice, and seems to relish the physical aspect of the game; a bit of a rarity from what people would expect of the more spread out European game, and something that he and Djurgårdens took ample advantage of. His effort level is nearly unmatched; always looking to either make a play through his stick, or make a play through a well-timed hit. That also ends up helping out with his ability to defend; always willing to attack the puck carrier or harass them to the outside, always finding himself clogging up shooting lanes and passing lanes actively and ensuring the opponent can’t find any cracks in his team’s backcheck, and using his stick as a precision instrument to turn the puck right back up ice.
All of this makes him a tremendous prospect at all phases of the game; able to be a major
What does he need to work on?
Unfortunately…it’s being 5’11.
Eklund isn’t just small, he’s slight. That isn’t the worst thing in the world for a player like him in the Allsvenskan/SHL, and there are currently players in the NHL who can do a lot of the things he can without being worried for their safety like Cole Caufield, Yanni Gourde, or Alex DeBrincat; and he is a bit taller than they are. But he is a bit thin, even at 5’11, something that could get him punished for in the North American game where the ice is much skinnier and much harder to come by; especially in a division like the Pacific where everybody can skate well and the big bodies throw big hits. He’ll need to add some muscle in order to be fully ready for the North American game so he doesn’t get murdered while going to the net or getting into a board battle.
Further, there’s a consistent feeling that he tends to lose himself in the enthusiasm of trying to get the puck in the defensive zone. Sometimes he’ll end up out of position because he’s just that determined to try and get a puck, and he’ll overcommit on a check or a pinch. It doesn’t always happen, but because it’s on wider ice in Sweden, it becomes very noticeable when he does it; leaving oodles of room to maneuver in.
Finally, there’s the uncomfortable question regarding Djurgårdens’ young boys; Who finds themselves creating more for their team? Eklund unquestionably has more of a motor to him, and has better vision, and he absolutely is the better skater, but Frondell’s hockey IQ and shot are complimented by being NHL-sized nearly out of the gate. Some lean Eklund, others lean Frondell. It can be somewhat frustrating to really pick one or the other as both had a major part of their teams’ performance.
My Verdict
Eklund is a player who would not just be an investment in a scoring winger, something that the Kraken desperately need, but also in the center corps of the team. His own ability to drive play would be a major boon on guys like Shane Wright and Matty Beniers, who are already playing with some quality forwards here and there, but with a dedicated youngster who can do the dirty work, go looking for rebounds, and take the puck to the net, as well as defend competently and skate hard while doing it.
I personally believe that Eklund will be off the board well before Seattle can take him. He just does too many good things at once to not be picked; size be damned. But if he is available…It would be a bad idea to let this kind of player go. He would be an amazing pickup for Deep Blue.