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Victor Eklund, Team Sweden (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images)

Red Wings 2025 Draft Targets: Victor Eklund

Originally posted on The Hockey Writers | By Devin Little | Last updated Jun 2, 2025 8:55 AM ET

The Detroit Red Wings may have fallen in the draft lottery, going from the 12th to the 13th pick in the first round, but they should still have plenty of quality options available to them when they are on the clock. If things fall their way, they may even have an option or two they weren’t expecting to have in that range.

The NHL Draft – and any draft for that matter – is all about seizing opportunities to add surplus value whenever those opportunities present themselves. The Red Wings’ rebuild has been pushed in the right direction thanks to their scouting team’s ability to hit above their weight class, so to speak. They found Marco Kasper at eighth overall in 2022, and right now he looks like a top-five player to come out of that draft. Things are looking good for Axel Sandin Pellikka, drafted 17th overall in 2023, as well.

There may not be a bigger opportunity for the Red Wings to add surplus value in the 2025 draft than winger Victor Eklund. The Swedish forward is the brother of San Jose Sharks forward William Eklund (seventh overall, 2021) and has been ranked inside the top-10 of this class since people started ranking the players in this class. It is only recently that it seems like the Red Wings could have a shot at drafting the talented winger.

If they do have that opportunity, they should absolutely take it.

Eklund’s Toolkit

Eklund has a lot of the tools you look for in an offensive winger. He understands the value of time and space, and he constantly works to have both on his side. He is a bit more of a shooter than his brother was at his age, but he is just as willing to be patient and allow his teammates to open up passing lanes. He had 19 goals and 31 points in 42 games while playing in Sweden’s second-tier league this season, and he looked ready to take his game to the Swedish Hockey League (SHL) by the end of the season.

Eklund isn’t a super fast skater, but he does play with pace. He seems to always think one step ahead, and he knows how to take advantage of players that aren’t quite at his level. He will attack in a straight line on some shifts, and then he’ll weave his way around the ice on others. He anticipates the play well and puts himself in a position to receive passes or launch a one-timer on net. Because of the speed at which he processes the game, he appears very fluid in almost everything he does on the ice.

While no one would specifically refer to him as a defensive forward, Eklund does understand the importance of good defensive fundamentals. Players that develop over in Sweden always learn the value of good defense – it’s why Swedish prospects’ offensive totals are usually a lot lower than their peers here in North America. He competes in the defensive zone and looks to earn his ice time by avoiding reckless defensive play. He has a solid foundation to build on when it comes to his defensive game, and that will be appealing to teams like the Red Wings that place a premium on prospects with sound two-way ability.

Despite his lack of size, Eklund does not fit the stereotype of the “soft European” player. He engages in and often wins puck battles, and he will put himself in harm’s way in the defensive end. Make no mistake, he isn’t what you would call a “physical” player, but his compete level allowed him to play the game against men this season and stand out among his peers. He seems to understand that physicality, like defense, is a part of the game, and he has the work ethic to back it up.

Despite his physical tools and two-way ability, any organization considering calling Eklund’s name at the draft later this month is doing so because of his offensive talent. He makes his teammates better, and he was highly efficient at finishing plays this season. His brother has turned into a quality playmaker in the NHL, and he has the potential to become the same, maybe with an extra level of scoring punch as well.

Work in Progress

Despite Eklund’s profile and the fact he has consistently been a highly-regarded member of this draft class, there are a few reasons he has been mocked to the Red Wings at 13th overall.

It starts with his overall lack of size. At 5-foot-11, 161 pounds, Eklund isn’t going to run anyone over with sheer physical strength. While he will undoubtedly add more strength to his frame as he gets older and develops physically, size and strength is something you can’t teach – you either have it or you don’t. Teams looking to add size to their prospect pool will look elsewhere, and teams that are allured by his skill level may still have concerns about how he will fare against the biggest and baddest players in the NHL.

Eklund may stand out because of his offensive skill and production, but there is some question about how much of that will translate at the next level, let alone in the NHL. He was an efficient scorer this season, converting on over 17 percent of shots this season; generally, the average shooting percentage (S%) is around 10 percent, so the higher a player’s S% is above that, the more likely it is that the player will experience some regression the following season. He looked like an elite scorer this season, but is that who he really is?

Package it all together and you have a player that plays with a lot of energy, has some legitimate offensive skill, but lacks the physical tools you look for in a truly dominant offensive player. There are always exceptions to the rule, but players that profile similarly to Eklund typically aren’t the type of players teams are reaching for with top-10 picks. Corey Pronman of The Athletic has mentioned Seth Jarvis of the Carolina Hurricanes as a player that profiles similarly and beat the odds, but there’s a decent chance Eklund tops out as a 50-point guy rather than a 70-point one (from “A case for (and against) picking the top forward prospects in 2025 NHL Draft”, The Athletic, 5/12/25)

NHL Readiness

After going seventh overall in the 2021 draft, William Eklund spent another season in the SHL before joining the Sharks late in the 2021-22 season for nine games. He played in the American Hockey League the following season, and then became an NHL regular in the fall of 2023. While they are not the same player, Victor Eklund’s path to the NHL might be very similar.

Unlike his brother, Eklund did not play in the SHL during his draft season. The SHL is one of the top three or four hockey leagues in the world, and it speaks volumes when a young player can thrive in that environment. With that being said, he is all but guaranteed to play in the SHL next season, and we should have a much better idea of what his ceiling is by the end of the 2025-26 season.

From there, Eklund’s path might mirror his brother’s. He is still a highly-regarded prospect in this class, so the team that drafts him will want to get him over to North America as soon as he is ready for it. The absolute earliest we will see him in the NHL is 2026, but it’s probably closer to 2027.

Eklund’s Fit with the Red Wings

The Red Wings have slowly assembled a strong group of prospects, some of which have started to take on big roles in Detroit. Their top pick in last year’s draft, Michael Brandsegg-Nygård, is a winger with similar traits as Eklund in terms of his blend of competitiveness and skill. In fact, most of their forward prospects fit the description of “competitive, two-way player with good offensive skill”, so Eklund would fit right in.

Perhaps more importantly, Eklund also reminds me a bit of Lucas Raymond, the top line winger that was the Red Wings’ highest pick of this rebuild (fourth overall, 2020). Both players are wingers, and both players were highly proficient at making plays during their draft season. They both play a strong puck possession game, with Raymond taking his to another level this season with the Red Wings. Raymond has learned a lot from Patrick Kane since the latter joined the Red Wings late in 2023, and it’s not hard to imagine the former passing those lessons along to a similar player in Eklund.

There is kind of a running joke about how the Red Wings keep drafting the same player with their first pick going back to 2022. If the Red Wings can add a prospect that is somewhere between Raymond and Jarvis, that’s a player worth adding, even if his skillset is similar to other players in Detroit’s prospect pool.

Best Player Available

Quite frankly, I didn’t think I would have a reason to write a draft target article about Eklund. He has been ranked within the top-10 on a consistent basis since this draft cycle started, and the skill level alone is enough to deserve consideration in that range. Pronman mocked Eklund to Detroit in his May 13 mock draft, and TSN’s Craig Button mocked Eklund to the Red Wings following the results of the draft lottery. There are a few other mocks out there with that result, so it’s starting to feel more and more like this is a legitimate possibility.

In my opinion, the Red Wings cannot do better than Eklund in the first round of this draft. If he is on the board at 13th overall, it should be a no-brainer pick – especially given Detroit’s preference for highly-competitive European players in recent years.

Other Quotes

“Eklund’s pace of play is advanced for his age as he moves quickly and very decisive. He can absolutely rip a puck and score from short and medium ranges in addition to being a skilled playmaker. Like his brother, William, Victor is undersized, but he’s just as dynamic as the elder Eklund, maybe even more.” – Jordan Harris, Dobber Prospects

“The tenacious, high-motor winger consistently pushes the pace and tries to force defenders into making mistakes. He has a very underrated shot, and he’s always crashing the slot. Eklund is a menace on the forecheck, blending his physicality with his skill to pull pucks out of trouble and into potentially dangerous situations.” – Tony Ferrari, The Hockey News

“He’s a very skilled forward who makes creative plays and can do so in the tough areas. Eklund is undersized, but he plays like a big man. He’s a tenacious competitor who hunts down pucks and is great at creating chances around the net.” – Corey Pronman, The Athletic (from “2025 NHL Draft prospects: Corey Pronman updates his ranking ahead of the lottery”, The Athletic, 5/5/25)