NY Islanders' Victor Eklund Being Seen as Great Prospect This Year is Encouraging

Will Victor Eklund be able to live up to the hype as one of the best prospects in hockey this year?

Jun 27, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Victor Eklund is selected as the 16th overall pick to the New York Islanders in the first round of the 2025 NHL Draft at Peacock Theater. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

With Rookie Camp set to start soon, followed by training camp for the New York Islanders, the team is getting ready for the start of the regular season. 

It won’t be long until the Islanders are on the ice for their season-opener against the Toronto Maple Leafs, but there will be a lot of things for the team to address before then. 

As expectations start to rise for New York, this feels like it is going to be a pivotal year with perhaps some changes on the horizon soon. With a lot of veterans on expiring contracts and some young players waiting in the wings for the Islanders, how they elect to go about setting their roster and lineups is going to be interesting this year. 

Surely, New York wants to get some of this young talent in the lineup, but how they will do so will be interesting to see. This is a team that has been focused on improving their prospect pool, and one of their young players has really taken a nice step forward. 

NHL.com recently posted about the top 26 prospects heading into the season. For the Islanders, their talented winger Victor Eklund came in ranked 16th. 

Encouraging Placement for Eklund

Jun 27, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Victor Eklund is selected as the 16th overall pick to the New York Islanders in the first round of the 2025 NHL Draft at Peacock Theater. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

For New York, they must be happy to see Eklund being considered one of the top 26 prospects coming into the season, and with him just outside the top 15, he’s got some excellent potential. 

Due to the Islanders being very crowded at forward heading into training camp, whether or not Eklund will make the team has yet to be determined. However, the young winger did make his NHL debut last season, and with an assist, showcased quickly that he could make an impact. 

With a new head coach in Peter DeBoer, who was only on the bench for a few games at the end of the season, he will certainly be using camp and the preseason to figure out who is going to be making the team first, and then what the lines will look like as well. 

For Eklund, he is a player that is seen to have top six potential for New York. While he might not be asked to be in that role right away, he’s got an excellent chance of making the team out of camp. 

If he doesn’t, he will be on the top line in the AHL and will be waiting for an opportunity to present itself.