William Eklund (born 12 October 2002) is a Swedish ice hockey forward who is currently playing with the San Jose Barracuda in the American Hockey League (AHL) as a prospect to the San Jose Sharks of the National Hockey League (NHL). Eklund is the son of retired ice hockey player Christian Eklund, who also played for Djurgården.[1]
William Eklund | |||
---|---|---|---|
Born |
(2002-10-12) 12 October 2002 (age 20) Haninge, Sweden | ||
Height | 5 ft 11 in (180 cm) | ||
Weight | 181 lb (82 kg; 12 st 13 lb) | ||
Position | Centre/Left Wing | ||
Shoots | Left | ||
NHL team (P) Cur. team Former teams |
San Jose Sharks San Jose Barracuda (AHL) Djurgårdens IF | ||
NHL Draft |
7th overall, 2021 San Jose Sharks | ||
Playing career | 2020–present |
Eklund made his debut in the Swedish Hockey League on 4 January 2020 playing for Djurgårdens IF in a 4–2 win away against IK Oskarshamn.[2] He played a total of 20 regular season games and scoring two points during the rest of the 2019–20 SHL season. He collected five points in his first eight games in the 2020–21 SHL season. Considered the top international prospect for the 2021 NHL Entry Draft by NHL Central Scouting,[3] he was selected seventh overall by the San Jose Sharks.[4]
Eklund was signed by the Sharks to a three-year, entry-level contract on 16 August 2021.[5] He made his NHL debut on 16 October 2021, in a 4–3 win over the Winnipeg Jets, where he also registered his first point, an assist.[6] After playing nine games with the Sharks, he was reassigned back to Sweden on 5 November 2021.[7]
Eklund was named for the preliminary Swedish roster for the 2021 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships. He tested positive for COVID-19, preventing him from joining the final roster for the tournament.[8]
Eklund made his debut with the Swedish national ice hockey team on 28 April 2021 in a friendly game against Denmark. He scored one goal and made one assist.[9]
Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
2018–19 | Djurgårdens IF | J20 | 13 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 8 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 0 | ||
2019–20 | Djurgårdens IF | J20 | 31 | 12 | 24 | 36 | 22 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
2019–20 | Djurgårdens IF | SHL | 20 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
2020–21 | Djurgårdens IF | SHL | 40 | 11 | 12 | 23 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | ||
2021–22 | San Jose Sharks | NHL | 9 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
2021–22 | Djurgårdens IF | SHL | 29 | 1 | 13 | 14 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
SHL totals | 89 | 12 | 27 | 39 | 10 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | ||||
NHL totals | 9 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — |
Year | Team | Event | Result | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2019 | Sweden | HG18 | ![]() |
5 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | |
Junior totals | 5 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 |
Award | Year | Ref |
---|---|---|
SHL | ||
Rookie of the Year | 2021 | [10] |
Swedish junior player of the year | 2021 | [11] |
NHL | ||
E.J. McGuire Award of Excellence | 2021 | [12] |
Awards and achievements | ||
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Preceded by | Winner of the SHL Rookie of the Year award 2021 |
Succeeded by |
Preceded by | San Jose Sharks first round draft pick 2021 |
Succeeded by |
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