Rinkside Roundup: Victor Eklund establishing himself as a top 10 prospect for 2025 Draft

From stunning hat-tricks to out-of-nowhere offensive explosions, forwards were racking up points in the prospect world last week.

Among the fray of thriving stars, a handful stood out not only for their production but their intensity and off-puck engagement as well. 

Victor Eklund further entrenched his place as the most dynamic European prospect eligible for the 2025 NHL Draft with a third-period hat-trick in HockeyAllsvenskan. Over in the WHL, a trio of forwards stood out significantly in this week’s viewings. Tij Iginla is picking up where he left off last season, showing skill and projectable habits alike. Meanwhile, a pair of draft eligibles have rocketed up the WHL’s scoring charts, with Carter Bear’s ceaseless intensity landing him at fourth and Nathan Behm’s 10-point week launched him into first. 

While we can’t cover the Michael Misa (17-9-26 in 13) and Porter Martone (12-13-25 in 11) scoring race every week, it continues to intensify, and the player with the strongest link to both – Luke Misa – has kicked into gear with a return to his high-pace, high-skill best following a slower start to the campaign.

Let’s dive straight into some of the week’s most dazzling performers.

Victor Eklund, LW, Djurgårdens IF (2025 Draft)

Season Stats: 7G, 4A, 11PTS

Last Week Stats: 3G, 1A, 4PTS

There are few more inspiring arena atmospheres in the world of hockey than Djurgårdens IF at home. Still in HockeyAllsvenskan following consecutive losses in the SHL qualifier finals, fans continue to ramp up the volume at Hovet, the team’s home – and the roof blew off the historic arena Friday when Victor Eklund potted his third goal of the final frame to tie it up 6-6 against IF Björklöven. It was a true goal-scorer’s hat-trick: a fortunate bounce off a good rush, a blink-and-you-miss-it catch-and-release from the mid-slot, and a deft backhand deflection after gaining inside positioning in the slot.

Eklund is writing his own Djurgårdens history, free from his brother William’s shadow. William Eklund who is primed to one-up his breakout NHL campaign with potential chemistry with Macklin Celebrini. While this shadow will likely remain for a bit longer on the North American side – not helped by our own comparisons between the brothers’ styles of play and offensive dynamism – at the younger’s current pace, that won't be the case for long.

Despite the hat-trick, Eklund's best period may have been overtime, which Lassi Alanen, Director of European Scouting, analyzed in detail in his game report:

“He really turned things up during overtime, using the extra space to gather up speed and fearlessly strike through defences. In one shift, he had two end-to-end rushes that ended in high-end chances, using the speed advantage while handling the puck with a deft touch. In the first sequence, he readjusted the puck position at the right time to move it through the defender's triangle while cutting to the middle from the outside. In the second sequence, he used a between-the-legs move to drive wide on a defender, then cutting to the middle. In total, he had 20(!) shot attempts and 11(!) shots on goal, many of them being high-danger ones. He could've easily had a few goals more. What a game.”

Tij Iginla, LW, Kelowna Rockets (Utah Hockey Club)

Season Stats: 9G, 6A, 15PTS

Last Week Stats: 3G, 1A, 4PTS

Tij Iginla led the charge for Kelowna in a 6-0 trouncing against the Moose Jaw Warriors Friday. The first draft selection in the history of Utah Hockey Club has taken up where he left off last season, playing a projectable, yet dynamic and highly entertaining style of play founded on elite hockey sense, unmatched intensity, and game-breaking goal-scoring and playmaking skill. 

Iginla is, in all likelihood, in his final junior season before making the leap to the NHL. He and Washington’s Andrew Cristall form one of the league's most dangerous offensive duos and increased offensive exploration – pushing the limits of his tools and skills – can be expected.

Unlike most players in his league, Iginla’s habits are particularly refined and may not progress until he faces professional competition, but a focus on his defensive scanning, timing, and positioning could ease the transition a bit. His defensive work rate is a clear strength, but he still overskates on backchecks and can take himself a few steps out of the play where restraint would be advantageous. 

Look for Iginla to continue in his rapid progression with the puck on his stick and cement himself as one of the most polished players in the CHL this season.

Carter Bear, LW, Everett Silvertips (2025 Draft)

Season Stats: 12G, 9A, 21PTS

Last Week Stats: 5G, 1A, 6PTS

As Mitch Brown regularly says, “no one plays harder than Carter Bear.” The Silvertips winger has been a revelation this season, and in just about every way a coach could hope for. He sits fourth in WHL points, outworks every single player on either team every game, and he makes high-end decisions with remarkable consistency. Furthermore, he's not only an advanced defensive thinker, but approaches defensive situations like it's the biggest game of his life. 

While Bear’s physicality and motor were apparent from the first shift this season, his skill and playmaking have already taken a step or two early in his draft-year campaign. His off-puck pace has bled over to his execution of higher-end manoeuvres; he wastes no time with the puck on his stick. Whether it be a catch-and-release or barrelling through defences, he makes decisions quickly and commits to them fully – there’s no hesitation in his game.

His style of play and the level of skill he continues to demonstrate weekly make a middle-six NHL projection quite linear, and he still has ample development room to raise the bar of his ceiling. With his trajectory aimed skyward, Bear is well on his way to cementing himself as a can’t-miss first-round talent.

Nathan Behm, RW, Kamloops Blazers (2025 Draft)

Season Stats: 12G, 10A, 22PTS

Last Week Stats: 4G, 6A, 10PTS

Nathan Behm’s name hasn’t been among the swaths of WHL talents discussed as first-round options in the 2025 NHL Draft early in this draft cycle, but now leads the entire league in points. He won WHL Player of the Week with double-digit points and a six-point game against a strong Victoria Royals team, taking part in each of his team’s goals in a 6-3 victory. 

The 6-foot-2, 192-pound winger is a beat ahead of his opponents – and teammates, at times – with strong anticipation, vision, and processing speed. None of his points in that dominant 6-point night were particularly spectacular and his dynamism isn’t a standout strength, but he consistently finds space offensively and gets lost between checks, pouncing on loose pucks quickly and making quick smart plays under pressure.

Working on his puckhandling and exploring that area of his toolkit more in-game would go a long way; he finds solutions to complex problems but can struggle to execute them with somewhat locked wrists and sporadically heavy puck touches. Leading the scoring charts on a middling team while still having clear pathways to becoming more dominant WHLer bodes well.

What is clear, however, is that no player attracted a bigger rise in attention regarding their draft stock last week than the Kamloops forward did.

Luke Misa, C, Brampton Steelheads (Calgary Flames)

Season Stats: 5G, 5A, 10PTS

Last Week Stats: 4G, 3A, 7PTS

The only player covered in this Roundup not to have logged a hat-trick last week, Misa still managed to score seven points in a pair of games for Brampton, snapping a seven-game point drought in style. 

Our OHL scout Lauren Kelly was vocal in her support of Misa’s case throughout the 2024 draft year, and broke down his weekend performances and place on the Steelheads’ top-line:

“It hasn't been the easiest start to the season for Luke Misa, who found himself pushed to the second line with the offseason acquisition of Carson Rehkopf, struggling to create and work with less dynamic and offensively skilled linemates. But an injury to Angus MacDonell saw him promoted back to the top line this weekend. On the flank with Rehkopf and Porter Martone, Misa reminded all of us why he was the guy for the Steelheads last season. He's always had dynamic, high-end speed in transition, but now he's got the linemates who can work with his speed and skill to set him up for success, and for him to set them up as well. With Misa on their line, now Rehkopf and Martone have a dynamic play driver in transition, something they sorely lacked since the start of the year, and everyone has reaped the benefits of this change. We'll see if Misa stays on the top line once MacDonell recovers, but he has taken this opportunity and run with it.”

His four-point night in the 10-1 thrashing of the Guelph Storm clearly demonstrated his strengths and key role.

The Flames were fortunate Misa was available when they made their fifth-round selection this past June and could reap substantial rewards. While he remains a slight forward, his skating ability, off-puck intelligence, pace, and deft playmaking will support him in carving out a potential third-line niche with the Flames long-term. He’s positionally versatile, too, mainly playing down the middle in the OHL but equally comfortable on the wing, where his speed can wreak havoc and where he will conceivably make his NHL living.

While he will not be the Misa brother with the most media attention this year or beyond, Luke could be among the OHL’s underrated offensive pieces this season and the NHL’s undervalued prospects, as well. As Flames fans saw in rookie camp, they’ve got a good one.