Viktor Eklund’s potential impact

Victor Eklund won’t scare you with his size, but there are many players who make their opponents pay for underestimating them because of their stature.

You need not look further than Lane Hutson (5-foot-10, 165 pounds) and Cole Caufield (5-foot-8, 174 pounds). 

But you must head to Carolina and watch a guy like Seth Jarvis play, to appreciate why Eklund is so special. If he hits on his ceiling, he could have a similar impact to Jarvis.

And Carolina fans know they have a gem in the 5-foot-10, 174-pound centre/winger. Jarvis was drafted 13th overall in 2020, and for my money, he is a top-three pick in a re-draft behind Tim Stutzle and Lucas Raymond.

Eklund, 18, is a 5-foot-11, 163-pound right-shot left-wing. Though he is on the smaller side, he has plenty of room to add muscle to his frame - which will only improve his game. 

What doesn’t need to be worked on is how he thinks the game - at a quick, cerebral rate - which has allowed him to be considered for a top-10 selection at the draft in June. I expect he will go early because general manager’s have been burned in the past by turning their heads the other way from smaller prospects. 

If Eklund has even a smidge of Jarvis’s game in his, then he will be a very valuable pick for the GM that drafts him. For me, Jarvis is a top-line winger every day, but he is also versatile - effective on wing and center duty.

Montreal could undoubtedly use another big center/winger with some bite. But Martin St. Louis and many Montreal Canadiens greats were undersized, and the storied franchise has become just that…storied.

Eklund feels like a Habs pick, and he would play for the Habs if Jarvis's game resembles his down the road. I love Jarvis, but I want the first coming of Victor Eklund, not the second of Jarvis.

I quite like Eklund’s mind - he processes plays at a high rate, and with another season in the Hockey Allsvenskan, I think a promotion to Laval should be in order. Let the kid cook in the pros, and get stronger before heading to the NHL.

Big bro William, a seventh overall selection by the San Jose Sharks in 2021, is also a bit smaller (5-foot-11, 181 pounds) and he has done just fine in San Jose. In his rookie season (2023-24), the elder Eklund scored 16-29-45 in 80 games on an atrocious Sharks team. 

This season, William, has 17-38-55 in 71 games with the Sharks, showing a great growth rate from rookie to sophomore. He has evaded the dreaded second-year slump.

Back to Victor, though, who skates relatively quickly, but again will benefit from added strength (lower body, and core) to add a power element to his skating. With increased explosiveness, and opportunities to improve his ability to process plays in the AHL - at a quicker pace - Eklund’s pace - mentally and physically - will develop in heaps and bounds. 

Eklund is a fantastic playmaker, who can shoot the puck well - but didn’t need to with Anton Frondell as a highly impactful shooting threat. He has all the elements of an NHL forward, now it’s a matter of middle-six or top-line material.

We will find out which club takes a swing at Viktor Eklund, who is toolsy and one of the intriguing prospects in the 2025 draft class.