MILESTONE: Filip Ekberg to suit up in 100th OHL game
OTTAWA, ON – Filip Ekberg may be one of the most whimsical players on the 67’s roster off the ice, but by Sunday, he’ll have been all business on the ice for 100 OHL games.
“Hitting 100 games in the OHL and with Ottawa is an amazing feeling,” Ekberg said. “I mean, to do it with this group, it’s an amazing group, so it feels really good.”
Before joining the Barber Poles, Ekberg was among the few players to have suited up professionally, playing in 20 games with Almtuna IS of the Swedish Allsvenskan between the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons.
“It was a surreal feeling,” he said of joining the 67’s. “I was with my family, and to get drafted in the import draft here it was amazing.”
“Coming here, the process was easy,” he said of the adjustment. “Every guy helped me a lot—it’s a hard thing moving to another country.”
He’s said that the biggest adjustment for him over the past two seasons was learning English as well as learning to be away from his family.
“I don’t have a specific favourite memory, but just being with the boys every day—in the locker room, after practice—it’s the best.”
His 45 points last season, alongside his explosive 18-point campaign with Team Sweden at the U18s, were good enough to get his name called by the Carolina Hurricanes in the seventh round of the 2025 NHL draft.
“It was a kid’s dream,” he said of getting drafted to the Hurricanes. “It was amazing to hear my name getting called with family.”
Already, they’ve made a major impact on his development: Ekberg has surpassed his goal total from last year, with 20 so far this season, and is on pace to finish with a career-high of 49 points.
“We talked a lot on what I have to improve to get better,” he said of his time at Canes training camp this past Summer. “I have video with them every Monday watching my shifts and going through what I can be better at.”
However, while the bump in production should have Ekberg happy, his eyes are still set on one feat.
“A goal I want to achieve is to win our (group’s) first OHL championship,” he said.
