NHL Future Watch: William Eklund Hockey Cards, San Jose Sharks – William Eklund was drafted by the San Jose Sharks with the seventh overall pick in the 2021 NHL Draft. This talented Swede is expected to be a major part of the teams’ offense for years to come.
Eklund may be a center or on the wing. We won’t know for sure until he hits North America. Since 2018, he’s been moving up the ladder with Djurgardens. In 2019, he played in the J20 SuperElit, and in 13 games, the prospect scored three points. Six of his teammates were all NHL drafted players. His stick came alive in the postseason, scoring six points in eight games.
In 2019-20, during the pandemic, he stayed in the SuperElit. Eklund had 12 goals and 24 assists in 31 games. He then graduated to the SHL, where it got much harder for him playing against men. He only had two assists in 20 games. During that season, representing Sweden in the Hlinka Gretzky Cup, he fared much better with six points in 13 games. He took home a bronze medal.
In 2021, he was playing for Djurgardens as a full time SHL player. In 40 games, he potted 11 goals and added 12 assists. Eklund added two points in three postseason games. He had the most goals by a junior in the league. One last award he won was the SHL Rookie of the Year Award.
In 2021-22, Eklund was given a nine-game look-see with the Sharks. His first crack at the NHL was pretty good with four points in nine games, but in the end, they decided to send him back to the SHL. In 29 games, he had 14 points and one point in four playoff games. Eklund would have played on the U20 World Junior Championship team, but that was canceled. Will he play in August when they get the tournament started up again? Only time will tell.
Eklund should be an NHL regular in a season or two. It will all depend on the kind of offseason he had.
NHL Future Watch: William Eklund Hockey Cards Worth Chasing
The first card to get is Eklund’s 2021-22 Upper Deck Series 2 Hockey Rookie. He’s shown in his white Sharks jersey skating without the puck.
Another card to get is his 2021-22 O-Pee-Chee Update Rookie. That card shows Eklund in his classic Sharks teal colors.
One last card to get is his 2021-22 Upper Deck Series 2 Fluorescence. That card has a crazy design, and Eklund looks like he just took a shot in practice. Collect him at all costs.
NHL Future Watch: William Eklund Hockey Cards, San Jose Sharks – Stats
Statistical image generated on Hockey Reference 07/09/2022.
NHL Future Watch: William Eklund Hockey Cards, San Jose Sharks – More Resources
- Secondary Market Pricing
- Beckett Card Catalog
- NHL.com Player Profile
- William Eklund on Instagram
- William Eklund on Twitter
NHL Future Watch: William Eklund Hockey Cards, San Jose Sharks – Image Gallery
For more from Russ Cohen, follow him on Twitter @sportsology.
Russ Cohen
is the author of several top-selling sports related books.
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