Winger Victor Eklund has heard the concerns about his size leading up to this year's draft, having measured in at just 5 foot 11 and 169 pounds at this year's scouting combine in Buffalo, N.Y.
He's not worried about his size, and he doesn't think any teams looking at him in the first round should be either.
"I mean, I'm only 18, I have 20 more years to my career," Eklund said. "I'm just a little kid, I think. You've just got to develop, work hard and eat. There's nothing to stress about."
Eklund is far from the only prospect in the class, or even in the first round, who needs to add size and strength before they start pushing for NHL time. The team that looks past Eklund's current diminutive size is going to get a pretty good prospect.
Kyle Dubas likes Eklund. He flew to Sweden late in the season to watch Eklund and his teammate Anton Frondell play, and then Eklund told me that he went out for coffee with Dubas later in the year once Dubas was back in Sweden for the World Championship. Eklund met other Penguins brass -- Jason Spezza, Wes Clark -- during a more formal meeting at the combine.
It's not hard to see the appeal. Eklund spent all of last season playing professional hockey against grown men in Sweden's second league with Djurgardens IF, and he didn't look out of place in a top-nine role. His 19 goals in 42 games led his team, and his 31 points ranked fifth. He led the league's junior-age players in both goals and points, and was rewarded with the league's top junior player award for his efforts. He added another two goals and five assists in 16 games in the postseason as Djurgardens won the league's championship and a promotion to the SHL for next season.
Eklund doesn't play like someone still fighting to hit 170 pounds on the scale. The Elite Prospects Draft Guide writes that he has "a relentless, never-ending motor and highly-impressive contact skills ... He suffocates defenders with his pace, outraces them for pucks on retrievals and wins the war for body positioning by cutting them at their hands."
Eklund, who models his game after the Flyers' Travis Konecny for his physicality and energy, thinks that his elusiveness and compete allows him to make up for what he lacks in size.
"I'm speedier in turns," he said. "And I'm playing against people who weigh 30 pounds more than me, but I always get into the puck battles knowing that I'm going to win the puck. So it's basically just confidence, like I just know I'm gonna win."
Whenever Eklund does make the leap to North America, he'll be transitioning from a larger ice surface like they have in Sweden to the smaller, NHL-sized rinks that encourage more contact. But Eklund got a taste of the smaller ice during the World Junior Championship, where his seven goals in 14 games tied for Sweden's lead and his 11 points ranked seventh.
"I think I'm better at the small ice," he said. "I think I was really comfortable in the World Juniors. I feel like I'm better when everything just goes with the flow, instead of back home in Sweden, when the ice is so big you tend to overthink stuff. I think the small ice just makes me very good."
Eklund could be off the board when the Penguins pick at No. 11, being ranked No. 9 in this draft by Elite Prospects. But if Eklund is still available when the Penguins are on the clock, or the Penguins move up a few spots in the order on draft day, they could get a high-end, future top-six winger who might not be too far off from pushing for NHL time.
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THE ASYLUM
Taylor Haase
12:12 am - 06.20.2025Buffalo, N.Y.Draft profiles: Eklund strong for his size
Winger Victor Eklund has heard the concerns about his size leading up to this year's draft, having measured in at just 5 foot 11 and 169 pounds at this year's scouting combine in Buffalo, N.Y.
He's not worried about his size, and he doesn't think any teams looking at him in the first round should be either.
"I mean, I'm only 18, I have 20 more years to my career," Eklund said. "I'm just a little kid, I think. You've just got to develop, work hard and eat. There's nothing to stress about."
Eklund is far from the only prospect in the class, or even in the first round, who needs to add size and strength before they start pushing for NHL time. The team that looks past Eklund's current diminutive size is going to get a pretty good prospect.
Kyle Dubas likes Eklund. He flew to Sweden late in the season to watch Eklund and his teammate Anton Frondell play, and then Eklund told me that he went out for coffee with Dubas later in the year once Dubas was back in Sweden for the World Championship. Eklund met other Penguins brass -- Jason Spezza, Wes Clark -- during a more formal meeting at the combine.
It's not hard to see the appeal. Eklund spent all of last season playing professional hockey against grown men in Sweden's second league with Djurgardens IF, and he didn't look out of place in a top-nine role. His 19 goals in 42 games led his team, and his 31 points ranked fifth. He led the league's junior-age players in both goals and points, and was rewarded with the league's top junior player award for his efforts. He added another two goals and five assists in 16 games in the postseason as Djurgardens won the league's championship and a promotion to the SHL for next season.
Eklund doesn't play like someone still fighting to hit 170 pounds on the scale. The Elite Prospects Draft Guide writes that he has "a relentless, never-ending motor and highly-impressive contact skills ... He suffocates defenders with his pace, outraces them for pucks on retrievals and wins the war for body positioning by cutting them at their hands."
Eklund, who models his game after the Flyers' Travis Konecny for his physicality and energy, thinks that his elusiveness and compete allows him to make up for what he lacks in size.
"I'm speedier in turns," he said. "And I'm playing against people who weigh 30 pounds more than me, but I always get into the puck battles knowing that I'm going to win the puck. So it's basically just confidence, like I just know I'm gonna win."
Whenever Eklund does make the leap to North America, he'll be transitioning from a larger ice surface like they have in Sweden to the smaller, NHL-sized rinks that encourage more contact. But Eklund got a taste of the smaller ice during the World Junior Championship, where his seven goals in 14 games tied for Sweden's lead and his 11 points ranked seventh.
"I think I'm better at the small ice," he said. "I think I was really comfortable in the World Juniors. I feel like I'm better when everything just goes with the flow, instead of back home in Sweden, when the ice is so big you tend to overthink stuff. I think the small ice just makes me very good."
Eklund could be off the board when the Penguins pick at No. 11, being ranked No. 9 in this draft by Elite Prospects. But if Eklund is still available when the Penguins are on the clock, or the Penguins move up a few spots in the order on draft day, they could get a high-end, future top-six winger who might not be too far off from pushing for NHL time.
Want to participate in our comments?
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Become a member, and enjoy premium benefits! Make your voice heard on the Steelers, Penguins and Pirates, and hear right back from tens of thousands of fellow Pittsburgh sports fans worldwide! Plus, access all our premium content, including Dejan Kovacevic columns, Friday Insider, daily Live Qs with the staff, more! And yeah, that's right, no ads at all!
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