Earlier this week, we started the 2023-24 San Jose Sharks player grades with Mikael Granlund. Now, it’s a good time to take a look at his linemate to end the season and the youngest member of the so-called “Lund Line”, William Eklund.
The expectations for Eklund at the start of the season were simple. He just needed to perform at a level that proved that he was ready to stick in the NHL. During the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons, he played a few games in the NHL but spent most of his time either in the Swedish Hockey League or the American Hockey League. He had been decent in those games, but with the Sharks’ rebuild in full swing it was time for the former seventh overall pick to show he belonged and he did just that.
Eklund’s Season in Review
Like most Sharks, Eklund’s season started off slowly on the offensive side of things. Through his first 11 games, he recorded only a single goal and assist. Despite his lack of offensive production, his ice time continued to rise during that period of time as his defensive ability was getting noticed. He wasn’t playing like a Selke Trophy winner by any means, but he’s certainly turning into a reliable player in his own end.
Surprisingly, Eklund blocked more shots than any other forward this season and did fairly well at suppressing the opposition’s scoring chances. Of course, given how bad defensively the Sharks were as a whole most nights, his numbers suffered but he’s certainly on the right trajectory in that regard. He even spent quite a bit of time on the penalty kill this season.
Eklund’s offensive production picked up a bit when the Sharks finally won their first game of the season. Including the game against the Philadelphia Flyers on Nov. 7, he recorded three points in his next four games. He hadn’t necessarily started a hot streak yet, because he was still relatively inconsistent, but things were trending upward for the young Swedish forward. His best offensive performance in the 2023 half of the season came against the New York Islanders where he recorded a goal and two assists for his first three-point night on Dec. 5. He then followed that up with a point in each of the next two games. He did fall off a bit as the new year approached and passed, going pointless in five games between Dec. 23 and Jan. 2, before going four games without a point a little over a week later starting on Jan. 13 against the Ottawa Senators.
As the end of the season drew closer, Eklund started finding his rhythm more and more. In the last ten games of the 2023-24 season, he recorded 11 points including his first career hat trick (on a hat giveaway night nonetheless) against the St. Louis Blues on April 6. Eklund had some issues with consistency during the season, but that was the same with every member of the Sharks and generally, it can be said about roughly 90% of players in the NHL. He found his way onto the scoresheet in 36 of the 80 games he played and put up a total of 45 points. It was a very respectable season for the 21-year-old and he needs to continue to build on it next season.
Eklund’s Development
As I said previously, for Eklund this season was all about development. He needed to take a major step forward in many different areas and it’s safe to say he did so. His one-timer is lethal and will be a major factor in the Sharks’ offense for years to come, especially on the power play. Over the course of the season, he got more confidence in using it, which is just as important as having the skill in the first place.
Related: Sharks 2023-24 Player Grades: Mikael Granlund
A technician who doesn’t use his tools is just as useless as one without any and the same is true in the NHL. Eklund’s defensive play, as we already discussed, improved significantly and most importantly he got confidence in general despite the lackluster performance of the team as a whole.
Overall, Eklund had a very strong season, however, it was far from perfect at the same time. He’s on the right track and next season if he can find a little more consistency then he’ll almost certainly break into the “A” grades. He was very close but ultimately I don’t think his season was quite deserving of that honor, but he’ll get there. Next season, we’ll be looking for more of the same. He needs to continue improving and finding ways to be effective on both sides of the ice.
Grade: B+
