Islanders recall Victor Eklund ahead of potential NHL debut
The New York Islanders announced on Tuesday morning that they have recalled forwards Victor Eklund and Liam Foudy from their AHL affiliate in Bridgeport.
#Isles Transaction: Victor Eklund and Liam Foudy have been recalled from Bridgeport. nhl.com/islanders/news…
The Islanders close out their regular season tonight on home ice at UBS Arena against the Carolina Hurricanes in a game that has no playoff ramifications for either side, meaning that Eklund is likely to make his NHL debut.
New York added Eklund to its stable of prospects during a 2025 NHL Draft that completely altered the course of the organization. After trading Noah Dobson to the Montreal Canadiens for two first-round picks and winning the lottery, the Islanders picked 1st, 16th and 17th, landing Matthew Schaefer, Eklund and Kashawn Aitcheson and immediately adding an injection of high-end young talent into the franchise.
Back in the summer, Daily Faceoff prospect analyst Steven Ellis ranked Eklund as the No. 4 prospect in the Isles’ pipeline, though the top two in that ranking, Schaefer and Calum Ritchie, have since graduated from prospect status.
“Eklund is exceptionally skilled,” Ellis wrote. “He makes things happen with the puck that very few can, and he’s got an excellent shot, to boot. I loved him at the World Juniors because it felt like he was always involved in the puck play. He might not be big at 5-foot-11, but he does have some decent strength.”
Eklund spent most of his season with Djurgardens in the SHL, where he put up 24 points in 43 games. In his first taste of North American professional action with Bridgeport, he scored two goals and dished out seven assists for nine points in seven games.
The Stockholm native was also an alternate captain for Team Sweden at the IIHF U20 World Junior Championships, where he had eight points in seven contests.
The Islanders, who held a playoff spot for most of the season powered by the record-breaking rookie effort of Schaefer and stellar goaltending from Ilya Sorokin, were mathematically eliminated from playoff contention on Sunday.
Amid the disappointment, giving fans a first look at a potential franchise building block in the last game of the year is a solid way to close out an Islanders season filled with reasons to be optimistic about the team’s future outlook.