The 2025 NHL draft protection just took a major turn with a new name deemed the number-one overall player

The 2024 draft this past summer in Las Vegas at the Sphere featured top prospects like Macklin Celebrini and Artyom Levshunov, who found their NHL home that they will develop into their projections as future stars with.

Although there has not been much discussion of the 2025 NHL draft, there is one name specifically drawing serious attention, and he is being called the 'next Connor Bedard', it's Filip Ekberg, a Swedish skilled forward who recently turned sixteen years of age.

No player in his Swedish division aged 16 or under had ever scored a goal, and he sure did that, while scoring a hat trick. He is truly a treat to watch and will make any NHL team a lethal threat with his sniping prowess.

A scouting report by Mitchell Brown of HockeyDB revealed the following during his game on October 17th, 2024 - Niagara IceDogs vs. Ottawa 67's

Other names like Michael Misa have surfaced, who has had a prominent junior showing- but there is always a nationality discussion, are Swedes better hockey players?

Fans in the OHL are gifted a treat to watch Ekberg, and for Chicago Blackhawks fans, if they continue to dwell at the bottom of the NHL- they could be seeing Ekberg in a Blackhawks sweater come the 2025 NHL season.