Filip Ekberg of the Ottawa 67's [Robert Lefebvre/OHL Images].

After a year of development with the Ottawa 67's, Swedish forward Filip Ekberg looks dominant at the IIHF U-18 men's World Championship in Texas.

The 2007-born Swedish forward joined the Ottawa 67's last year after the team selected him in the first round of the 2024 CHL Import Draft.

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Ottawa struggled this season and is now solidly in rebuild territory after several years competing at the top of the Eastern Conference. Though the team struggled, Ekberg's personal development was impressive by the end of the season.

He started the year by recording eight goals and 19 points through the first 26 games of the regular season. While this isn't a bad start for a rookie, it's not a phenomenal one.

In the second half of the season, Ekberg seemed to earn the trust of Head Coach Dave Cameron. With that trust came an increase in minutes. At times during the second half of the year, he played big minutes alongside Columbus Blue Jackets prospect Luca Pinelli, who captained the 67's and led the team in points.

Ekberg also took on a larger role when Pinelli and Cooper Foster missed games due to a combination of injury and suspension.

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In the second half of the year, Erkberg recorded eight goals and 26 points in 27 games, just narrowly missing the point-per-game mark. Impressively, he also finished the season on an 11-game point streak during which he scored 17 points.

After the season, Ekberg was selected to represent Sweden at the IIHF U-18 Men's World Championship in Texas. In just three games, the young Swedish forward has scored five goals and added four assists to lead the tournament with nine points. His success from the end of the OHL season has extended to the tournament.

While there are many games left to play, Ekberg is clearly a player to watch at this tournament. Ottawa fans can look to these results as a spark of hope for next year's team.

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The 67's will need more scoring, seeing as Pinelli, Will Gerrior, and Matthew Mayich won't be with the team next season. All three of these players were top-five in scoring on the team. While Pinelli could return, it seems likely he will go to the AHL.

Ekberg finished third on the team in scoring last season, and given his improvement at the end of the year, he could be a candidate to lead the team in points next year.

Ottawa fans should keep a close eye on the results from the IIHL U-18 Men's World Championship to see just how much damage Ekberg will do by the end of the tournament. Team Sweden will play Team Czechia tomorrow at 3:00 p.m. EST.

67's Filip Ekberg Thriving At IIHF U-18 Men's World Championship