The 2025 draft cycle is going to be a strong one for Sweden.

Anton Frondell seems to be the current top dog in the eyes of the public. Jakob Ihs-Wozniak and Sascha Boumedienne are also generating notable top-15 hype in preliminary discussions.

However, even if he hasn't been getting the same amount of fanfare so far, I'm ready to stick my neck out and predict that Victor Eklund will also be competing for a pick in the same range – maybe even higher — when the time comes.

Yes, he was that good last year.

While Eklund's 25 points in 30 games at the J20 level as a late 2006 birthdate isn't anything mind-blowing on the surface, he was easily better than the raw production would suggest.

It didn't come as a surprise that by the end of the season, he was already playing important minutes for Djurgårdens' HockeyAllsvenskan team during their playoff run that ultimately ended in a defeat in the finals.

Eklund also played an instrumental role for Sweden's U18 team throughout the year, continuing to shine event after event. Unlike at the J20 level, the production also matched his on-ice efforts more closely, being able to maintain a point-per-game pace through his international season.