Eklund motivated to improve after the Sharks sent him to Sweden

What Sharks GM told Eklund to work with when he was in Sweden originally appeared on NBC Sports Bayarea

William Eklund showed a lot of potential in the nine games he played for the Sharks this season, but San Jose made the difficult decision to send back number 7 overall election to Sweden, which ensures that they still have three years left on his rookie contract starting 2022-23.

When the decision was made to re-appoint Eklund to his Swedish Hockey League club, Djurgardens IF, Sharks general manager Doug Wilson told the 19-year-old what he wanted to see of him in the SHL.

“He wants me to mature even more in my game,” Eklund told NBC Sports Bay Areas Brodie Brazil. “He wanted me to come back and hopefully play well in the Swedish League, get some great minutes. He wanted me to play [a lot] so I can get better. “

Eklund did not score a goal in his nine games with the Sharks, but he got four assists and left an impression on his teammates.

“Very good player, will be an elite player in this league,” Sharks captain Logan Couture said of Eklund. “It’s tough to play in this league when he’s 18, 19, and he’s shown he can do it, so very impressive, it’s not easy what he does, he plays the top six minutes and he plays against it. “The other team’s top two lines every night. So nothing but honor for him, he has shown himself and proved that he can play in the NHL.”

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In a statement after the reassignment, Wilson acknowledged that the decision was difficult.

“This was one of the toughest decisions we’ve had to make,” Wilson said. “Williams’ tremendous skill and vision has been evident since he attended our rookie tournament in September. In his nine NHL games as a teenager, he has shown that he will be a special player in this league, but in the end we feel it is in the best interest of his long-term development to return to Sweden and continue working to become the dominant player we know he can be. “

Eklund has a bright future and the Sharks hope he will make the most of their time in the SHL and arriving in San Jose ready to be an integral part of next season’s team.