The Sharks’ decision to reassign top prospect William Eklund back to Djurgarden in the Swedish League left two holes. One of them is on the left wing in the team’s top six.
The other is in Eklund’s heart.
The 19-year-old was visibly devastated during his video conference call, held shortly after the organization confirmed the Friday morning report that, after nine games with the Sharks, Eklund would be headed back overseas. It prompted a question: Had the Sharks broken the spirit of the player who is probably the best prospect they’ve had in the system in more than a decade?
#SJSharks William Eklund speaks to the media following today's news. pic.twitter.com/UHwf8W5mYU
— San Jose Sharks (@SanJoseSharks) November 5, 2021
Not according to Sharks scouting director Doug Wilson Jr., who said in an exclusive interview Saturday that he figures Eklund’s disappointment will be temporary. On the contrary, he said, it’s Eklund’s maturity and desire to improve that made him such an attractive target for the organization in the 2021 draft just a few months ago, and the decision will benefit him and the Sharks in the long run.
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“One of the things that makes William so special is how mentally strong he is,” Wilson Jr. said. “He was cut from teams as a kid. He wasn’t one of those players that everybody knew about since he was 15, 16, 17 years old. When he was younger, he was actually cut from national teams, and he was cut from teams that he tried out for. And I think that that’s why his (details are) so strong, because he’s done everything his whole life to overcome not being the highest-skilled player at that time.
“From a skill perspective, I think he’s a late bloomer. When you watch him play, his details are so good because he’s had to work on those to make teams his whole life. I don’t think it’s a broken spirit. I see the complete opposite. He forced our hand to make our NHL team with how good he was in training camp. He’s six to 12 months ahead of where we expected. Knowing William, he’s going to go back to Djurgarden and he’s going to dominate.”
Wilson Jr. will personally help ease the transition for Eklund back to the Swedish League team with which he spent last season, where he posted 23 points (11 goals, 12 assists) in 40 games. After the Hockey Hall of Fame inducts its 2020 and 2021 classes on the weekend of Nov. 12, when Sharks general manager Doug Wilson will be officially enshrined, Wilson Jr. will head directly to Sweden, where he’ll stay for a handful of games.
The decision to reassign Eklund was based on a few factors, but the bottom line is that the Sharks know he will be a key part of their future, perhaps sooner than they first imagined, and they don’t want to rush him. And there are a few current NHL players of European descent who have benefitted from playing more against men the year after they were drafted.
Among them are Detroit’s Lucas Raymond, the fourth pick in the 2020 draft, who was leading all NHL rookies in scoring with 10 points (five goals, five assists) in 11 games heading into Saturday. Raymond played 34 games with Frolunda in the SEL last season. Another player drafted around where the Sharks selected Eklund is Vancouver’s Elias Pettersson. He went No. 5 pick to the Canucks in 2017, then spent the 2017-18 season in the Swedish League. Pettersson won the Calder Trophy as the NHL’s rookie of the year in 2018-19.
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“Historically, recently, European top draft picks who went back and played a year in Europe and then they came back had fantastic seasons,” Wilson Jr. said.
Conversely, players who arguably needed more time overseas immediately after getting drafted include Jesperi Kotkaniemi, the No. 3 pick in the 2018 draft, who struggled at times with the Canadiens before signing an offer sheet with the Hurricanes, and Kaapo Kakko, the No. 2 selection by the Rangers in 2019, who has yet to live up to his potential.
Further, there’s no denying that Eklund’s five-on-five game needed improvement. Three of his four points — all assists — came on the power play, and Eklund managed just eight shots on goal in his nine games.
“I would say even strength, both watching it and the underlying metrics said that an 82-game season might have been a little much for him at that age,” Wilson Jr. said. “And I think that’s the biggest thing — even-strength play, consistency through 82 games is a big thing, but honestly, he would have had to do a lot to have stayed for the full season because historically we try and have our players develop as long as possible so they’re in spots to succeed when they actually do come here.”
Wilson Jr. continued: “I think at the end of the day, when you draft that high, you’re looking for difference-makers, you’re not looking for contributors. I just think it would have been a tough conversation at the end of the season (if) we look back on it and William Eklund has seven goals and is a power-play specialist. I don’t think that would have been right for the kid, and I don’t think that would have been right for the Sharks. We just want to keep him on the same plan we’ve always had, which is player development and what’s best for William.”
The Sharks’ reassignment of Eklund back to Sweden doesn’t preclude the team from bringing him back this season. In fact, the way the schedule shakes out could make it more likely than it might have been in the pre-COVID-19 years. The NHL calendar was pushed back a bit this season, beginning in the second week of October rather than the first, and also includes a lengthy Olympic break in February. The Swedish League season will wrap up in early to mid-April.
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The Sharks will have a handful of games remaining at that point and, if they can hang around in the playoff race, might be able to use the youngster for a late-season push even if that would end up burning a year off his entry-level contract.
Perhaps by then, Eklund, who will also play on a North American-sized rink for the World Juniors in Edmonton beginning next month, will be in a better position to contribute.
Regardless of whether it’s this season or later, Eklund left a huge impression on his teammates and the organization.
“It’s an exciting time right now,” Wilson Jr. said. “You got to see what William Eklund is capable of in flashes, and we’re just doing the best we can to develop him into a potential difference-maker.”
(Photo of William Eklund, left, and Buffalo’s
