Islanders Prospect Victor Eklund Set for AHL Debut With Bridgeport This Week

Victor Eklund is joining the New York Islanders organization, beginning his North American career with the Bridgeport Islanders, who are in the midst of a playoff race. The 19-year-old right wing becomes the latest first-round pick to make the cross-Atlantic jump early, and the timing is no accident.

In 43 regular-season games with Djurgårdens, Eklund posted 24 points (six goals, 18 assists), adding three assists in three playoff contests before the club was eliminated from the SHL Playoffs on Saturday. That final loss, a 3-1 defeat to the Malmö Redhawks, freed him to make the move immediately.

Eklund played a crucial role for Team Sweden at the 2026 World Junior Championship, tallying six points in seven games en route to the tournament win. The gold medal capped a breakout winter that made his path to North America feel less like a question and more like a matter of when.

He had already answered that question himself. "My plan is that I'd like to go over this season, of course, and try playing in the AHL or wherever it ends up," Eklund told Mattias Ek of Hockeynews.se (translated from Swedish). "We'll just have to see if they reach out. But yeah, it would be fun. I want to play hockey, and if the Islanders or Bridgeport wanted me over, that would be really fun." Typically, European players don't make the jump to North America after their season ends, but with Bridgeport on the brink of a playoff berth in their final season in the city, perhaps Mathieu Darche wants to make a splash in the AHL, with Eklund joining Cole Eiserman down the stretch.

Eklund signed a three-year entry-level contract with the Islanders on July 14. Fellow 2025 draft pick Kashawn Aitcheson, selected 17th overall, has also signed his rookie deal, and Eiserman, the No. 20 pick from 2024, recently signed his ELC and is already on the roster via an Amateur Tryout. Eklund's arrival makes Bridgeport's forward group one of the most prospect-laden in the AHL's stretch run.

That depth cuts both ways. The Bridgeport forward corps without Eklund already lists lines anchored by Eiserman, Liam Foudy, and Oliver Beckman, with a scratch list that includes players who have logged significant AHL time this season. Eklund is the type of talent organizations rearrange lines for, the same way Bridgeport accommodated Eiserman, but he steps into genuine competition for ice time, not a guaranteed top-six role.

Scouting profiles describe Eklund as a forward who "suffocates defenders with his pace, outraces them for pucks on retrievals," and is "a very capable offensive creator who gets a lot of looks from the slot and net-front areas due to his dogged style." His brother, William, already plays in the NHL with San Jose, and Victor has spent his mornings in Stockholm studying Islanders film in preparation for exactly this moment.

Eklund could also be recalled if the Islanders themselves make the playoffs, whether he plays or serves as a black ace for the run. For now, Bridgeport is the landing spot, and with the franchise preparing to leave the Connecticut city after this season, the timing gives one of the Islanders' most anticipated prospects a chance to debut in front of the fans who have followed this pipeline the closest.