Swedish center Anton Frondell, who is ranked to be one of the top picks at the 2025 NHL Entry Draft, has signed a contract that will see him remain with Djurgården – his Stockholm-based childhood club – at least one more season.

“When I got the offer to stay, there was no doubt, no hesitation,” said Frondell. “Everyone who knows me knows that this is the club that I want to play for as long as possible. I have been a Djurgården fan since the day I was born and I have always looked up to those who have worn Djurgården jerseys. To play for Djurgården myself is the best thing I know, and with the support of the fans it only becomes even better each game.”

This past season, his first as a professional, 17-year-old Frondell had 11 goals and 14 assists for 25 points in 29 games in the HockeyAllsvenskan, which is the second tier of Swedish hockey. He also had 16 penalty minutes and was a plus-11 for Djurgården, which finished first in the regular season and will now try to fight for advancement to the SHL in the playoffs.

Frondell also had seven points in 10 games in Sweden’s top junior league this season and had seven points in four games for Sweden at the World Junior-A Challenge. Due to his recovery from a knee injury, he was not chosen to play for Sweden at the IIHF World Junior Championship this past winter.

“Anton is a very mature person who has a very good reasoning with himself and those he speaks to; therefore, I am not at all surprised that he’s made this decision,” said Djurgården sports director Niklas Wikegård. “For us, this means that we get the opportunity to continue working with one of the most talented players that Sweden has produced in recent years.”

Victor Eklund: “It’s Gone Quite Well So I’ll Just Continue With It” Victor Eklund is off to a flying start in his draft year. The 18-year-old left winger has seven goals and four assists in 13 games for Djurgården in the HockeyAllsvenskan, Sweden’s second-tier professional league. Last Friday, he netted a hat trick in a 7-6 shootout loss to Björklöven.

In addition to Frondell, Djurgården also has 18-year-old Victor Eklund, another top prospect at this year’s draft who is also signed through next season. In his mid-season rankings, THN’s Ryan Kennedy ranked Eklund fifth and Frondell 10th at this year’s draft, while THN’s Tony Ferrari ranked them both among the top prospects to watch in Europe this season.

Just because both players have signed contracts to return to their Swedish clubs, it is not necessarily mean they will not play in the NHL next season. However, Frondell seems in no rush to jump to the NHL and if Djurgården plays in the SHL next season, it will provide another natural stepping stone in the development of both players.

Djurgården will face seventh-place Mora in a quarterfinal series that begins on Sunday. In addition to the two young prospects, the team’s roster also includes 41-year-old veteran Patrick Thoresen, who was also a mentor to teenaged Seattle Kraken prospect Michael Brandsegg-Nygård on the Norwegian national team.

Last season, Djurgården was swept by Brynäs in the HockeyAllsvenskan finals, barely missing on advancement.

Patrick Thoresen chooses to play his final season in Sweden Last month, 40-year-old Patrick Thoresen, captain of the Norwegian national team, <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/international/latest-news/patrick-thoresen-i-will-play-a-maximum-of-one-more-year">said he would play one more season and indicated it would be with either hometown Storhamar in Norway or with famous Swedish club Djurgården</a>, for whom he played several seasons as a young player and had considerable success. Now his decision has been made, and <a href="https://www.sil.no/patrick-til-djurgarden/">the Norwegian club announced Thoresen’s impending departure on its website</a> on Monday.