Coming out of the NHL Scouting Combine earlier this month, the Buffalo Sabres got the lowdown on a number of prospects that could be their with the ninth selection at the 2025 Draft in Los Angeles later this month, but barring a trade up they will have to rely on the player they want slipping through the cracks.
The NY Islanders are likely to select defenseman Matthew Schaefer with the top overall pick, but there is no accurate read on how the remaining seven picks will break. That seems to be reflected in various mock drafts that have emerged since the combine. After Schaefer, names like Michael Misa, Caleb Desnoyers, and rising star Anton Frondell are likely to go in the top five, but at that point, any of a number of players could be there for the Sabres at #9.
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Swedish forward Victor Eklund is listed on most mock drafts as a top-10 pick at the 2025 NHL Draft later this month after scoring 19 goals for Djurgardens in the second-level Allsvenskan last season and six points at the 2025 IIHF World Junior last January. The Sabres have been quite willing to select players out of the SHL the last few seasons, as they have chosen Isak Rosen and Noah Ostlund in the first round of the 2021 and 2022 Drafts and Anton Wahlberg in the second round of the 2023 Draft.
According to the Hockey News Draft Preview, Eklund is a high-energy forward who, along with linemate and 2025 first-round prospect Frondell, helped Djurgardens win elevation back to the SHL last season. His size (5’11”, 161 lb.) isn’t ideal, but the 18-year-old winger has NHL pedigree as the younger brother of San Jose Sharks forward William Eklund, which could make some teams overlook his lack of size.
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