William Eklund

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William Eklund
Born (2002-10-12) 12 October 2002 (age 19)
Haninge, Sweden
Height 5 ft 10 in (178 cm)
Weight 176 lb (80 kg; 12 st 8 lb)
Position Centre/Left Wing
Shoots Left
NHL team (P)
Cur. team		 San Jose Sharks
Djurgårdens IF (SHL)
NHL Draft 7th overall, 2021
San Jose Sharks
Playing career 2020–present

William Eklund (born 12 October 2002) is a Swedish ice hockey forward for Djurgårdens IF of the Swedish Hockey League (SHL) on loan 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]

Playing career[]

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] He was signed 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 registred his first point, an assist.[6] After playing nine games with the Sharks, he was reassigned back to Sweden on 5 November 2021.[7]

International play[]

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]

Career statistics[]

Regular season and playoffs[]

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 — — — — —
SHL totals 60 11 14 25 6 3 1 1 2 2
NHL totals 9 0 4 4 2 — — — — —

International[]

Year Team Event Result GP G A Pts PIM
2019 Sweden HG18 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) 5 1 2 3 2
Junior totals 5 1 2 3 2

Awards and honors[]

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]

References[]

  1. ^ Ögren, Vendela (15 February 2020). "Inte längesen man stod där i klacken och skrek". Expressen (in Swedish). Retrieved 25 December 2020.
  2. ^ Ränkeskog, Gustaf (4 January 2020). "Vinst när ikonens son debuterade". Aftonbladet. Retrieved 25 December 2020.
  3. ^ 2021 Draft Prospects Ranking, National Hockey League, retrieved 27 May 2021
  4. ^ "Sharks Select William Eklund with Seventh Overall Pick". National Hockey League. Retrieved 23 July 2021.
  5. ^ "Sharks Sign 2021 Seventh Overall Selection William Eklund". National Hockey League. Retrieved 16 August 2021.
  6. ^ "Sharks' rookies Eklund, Weatherby lead comeback victory over Jets". cbc.ca. Retrieved 16 October 2021.
  7. ^ "Sharks Reassign William Eklund to Djurgardens". cbc.ca. Retrieved 5 November 2021.
  8. ^ Wagner, Daniel. "COVID-19 could mean Canucks' Costmar gets a major opportunity at the World Junior Championship". Vancouver is Awesome. Retrieved 24 December 2020.
  9. ^ Ahlberg, Ingela (28 April 2021). "Tre Kronor-debutanten glänste mot Danmark". Svenska Dagbladet. Retrieved 29 April 2021.
  10. ^ "Vinnare av Årets rookie i SHL 2020/2021" (in Swedish). Swedish Hockey League. 18 May 2021. Retrieved 8 July 2021.
  11. ^ "William Eklund, Djurgårdens IF är Årets Junior 2020/2021". swehockey.se. Swedish Ice Hockey Association. 21 May 2021. Retrieved 9 July 2021.
  12. ^ Morreale, Mike (5 July 2021). "Eklund receives E.J. McGuire Award of Excellence". National Hockey League.

External links[]

Awards and achievements
Preceded by San Jose Sharks first round draft pick
2021 		Succeeded by
Incumbent


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