| William Eklund | |
| Birth Date: | 12 October 2002 |
| Birth Place: | Haninge, Sweden |
| Height Ft: | 5 |
| Height In: | 11 |
| Weight Lb: | 181 |
| Position: | Forward |
| Shoots: | Left |
| League: | NHL |
| Team: | San Jose Sharks |
| Former Teams: | Djurgårdens IF |
| Draft: | 7th overall |
| Draft Year: | 2021 |
| Draft Team: | San Jose Sharks |
| Career Start: | 2020 |
William Eklund (born 12 October 2002) is a Swedish professional ice hockey forward for the San Jose Sharks of the National Hockey League (NHL). Eklund is the son of former ice hockey player Christian Eklund, who also played for Eklund's former team Djurgårdens IF.[1]
Eklund made his debut in the Swedish Hockey League (SHL) 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, he was selected seventh overall by the San Jose Sharks.[3]
Eklund was signed by the Sharks to a three-year, entry-level contract on 16 August 2021.[4] He made his NHL debut on 16 October, in a 4–3 win over the Winnipeg Jets, where he also registered his first point, an assist.[5] After playing nine games with the Sharks, he was reassigned back to Sweden on 5 November.[6] Eklund scored his first NHL goal on 14 March 2023, in a 6–5 overtime loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets.[7]
Eklund was named for the preliminary Sweden junior team roster for the 2021 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships, but tested positive for COVID-19, preventing him from joining the final roster for the tournament.[8]
Eklund made his debut with the Sweden senior team on 28 April 2021, in a friendly game against Denmark where he scored one goal and made one assist.[9]
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |||||
| 2018–19 | Djurgårdens IF | J20 | 13 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 8 | 2 | 4v | 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 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2022–23 | San Jose Barracuda | AHL | 54 | 17 | 24 | 41 | 43 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2022–23 | San Jose Sharks | NHL | 8 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2023–24 | San Jose Sharks | NHL | 80 | 16 | 29 | 45 | 30 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| SHL totals | 89 | 12 | 27 | 39 | 10 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | ||||
| NHL totals | 97 | 18 | 34 | 52 | 38 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| 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] | |