This was certainly a night Victor Eklund would never forget.
He was playing at home for the New York Islanders against the New Jersey Devils, and he cut toward the goal for a pass that put him 1-on-1 with the goalie.
And when Eklund got into that spot, he didn’t miss.
Eklund slotted the puck past the goalie — with a good view of it pictured atop this article — and it was a special moment in so many ways.
Victor Eklund Milestone
This was the first NHL goal for Eklund.
It came on his 20th birthday.
His mom was in the building and could be seen celebrating the milestone:
VICTOR EKLUND SCORES HIS FIRST NHL GOAL WITH HIS MOM IN THE BUILDING ON HIS 20TH BIRTHDAY! š„šØ https://t.co/dW44ExMqeI
ā B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) October 4, 2026
It’s tough for a moment to be more special than that.
It was obviously cool to see the joy on the face of Eklund’s mom, but you didn’t even have to look that far.
The youngster had a big smile on his own face, too.
Viktor Eklund: What To Know
Eklund is a 20-year old winger from Sweden.
The Islanders took him with the No. 16 overall pick in the 2025 NHL Draft.
He came up in the Swedish development system with the club Djurgardens IF.
In the year Eklund was drafted, he had put up 31 points (19 goals, 12 assists) in 42 games with Djurgardens’ senior team.
He then stayed there for most of the 2025-26 season, too, putting up six goals and 18 assists in 43 games.
The Islanders brought Eklund aboard for the tail end of the regular season last year. He got nine games in the AHL with Bridgeport and had three goals and seven assists. He also played one game in the NHL for the Islanders and notched an assist.
Eklund now gets to begin this season with the Islanders in the NHL, and he now has an assist and a goal through two games with the Isles.
The 5-foot-11, 175-pound right winger has a great opportunity to continue making his mark in the NHL this season for the Islanders, and it should be just the beginning.
After all, he just turned 20 years old. If this goes right for the Islanders, he should have lots of goals remaining.
But he probably will never forget his first. What a night it was for Eklund.
Islanders’ Victor Eklund Has Moment He’ll Never Forget