The first round of the 2021 NHL Entry Draft is officially in the books. The Sharks had the seventh overall pick and selected Swedish center/winger William Eklund from Djurgardens of the Swedish Hockey League.
Eklund is projected to be an elite forward, and some experts see him as potentially the best player to come out of this draft class. He is a fantastic skater with great speed that makes plays happen. Eklund is also a great defender as well.
Eklund has been tearing up the SHL before getting drafted by the Sharks, registering 11 goals and 12 assists for 23 points in his second season with Djurgardens IF, bringing his totals to 11 goals, 14 assists, and 25 points in 60 games in the SHL. His second-season stats were also career highs for him. Eklund led the SHL in goals, finished second in points, and tied for second in assists. He also had the most game-winning goals on Djurgardens with three. In addition, Eklund was named SHL Rookie of the Year and Swedish Junior Hockey Player of the Year. NHL Central Scouting ranked William Eklund as its Top European Skater in this year's entry draft.
Many people consider William Eklund at the seventh overall pick to be a steal. The Sharks should be very lucky that Eklund fell to the seventh overall selection because there were previously talks of him going sooner than seventh before the draft started. I am over the moon excited about this selection, especially since Eklund has such a high potential in the NHL. I can totally see Eklund becoming a franchise player for the Sharks in at least a few seasons and a superstar in the entire league as well. The Sharks’ future is now in good hands, and I am definitely looking forward to seeing Eklund play in the NHL sometime soon.
Sources: ESPN, NHL Discussion via Instagram, Sharks + SAP Center App
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