Eklund is Thrilled to Arrive on Long Island, Reunite with Odelius

When Victor Eklund was selected 16^th overall by the New York Islanders over the weekend, he had his best friend in Calle Odelius rooting for him back home, who was dialed into the draft on television and sent him proof of his excitement.

“He sent me a video of him watching the draft live, he was screaming and jumping,” Eklund said. “He was excited for me.”

The Swedes played together in Djurgårdens and now they’re reunited in the same NHL organization, which is something they’d both hoped for during summer skates and workouts. They see plenty of each other back home, as Eklund hails from Stockholm, which is about 30 minutes away from where Odelius lives in Nykvarn.

“We always talked about how cool it would be if he got drafted by the Islanders,” Odelius said. “It’s super cool and I’m proud of him. We played together in Sweden and he’s one of my better friends back home.”

Eklund had a memorable draft weekend, surrounded by friends and family who made the trek from Sweden to Los Angeles. The 5’11,” 170 lbs. forward was the second-ranked international skater, so it was is considered a steal that the Islanders landed him at 16^th overall. Despite high expectations, the 18-year-old winger said he wasn’t too nervous during the first round. He soaked it all in and when his name got called, he was thrilled it was the Islanders.

“I sat there and enjoyed it,” Eklund said. “I had no idea what team it was going to be, but I’m very happy with the outcome and lucky to get New York.”

The dynamic right shot winger is coming off an impressive season with Djurgårdens IF where he put up 31 points (19G, 12A) in 42 games in HockeyAllsvenskan, plus seven points (2G, 7A) through 16 playoff games. Eklund was a factor in his team earning a promotion to the SHL, the top tier of Swedish hockey after going 52-32-7 this season.

For fans who haven’t seen Eklund, he tends to play bigger than his size.

“I’d say my biggest strength is my motor,” Eklund said. “I go into every situation with that. I think my shot is very underrated. I want to work on is getting bigger and stronger.”

When it comes time to make the transition to North American hockey, Eklund has a great resource in his brother, William,, who played the past two seasons with the San Jose Sharks. The 22-year-old was drafted seventh overall in 2021 and put up 58 points (17G, 41A) through 77 games in 2024-25.

“He told me [the NHL] very professional, just everything around you, and of course it’s a better league and you have to learn to be a professional pretty quick to stay in the league,” Eklund said. “He said the fun is just getting started.”

“He’s excited to play against me,” Eklund added.

With Eklund slated to go back to Sweden this year, playing against his brother is a few steps down the line. However, Eklund took his first step in his journey to the pros on Monday, zipping around on the ice and showing his speed and skating skills on the first day of Islanders development camp.

“I’m trying to have as much fun out there as I can,” Eklund said. ”And it is a lot of fun so far, it’s exciting to meet the guys and the new staff.” "