These days, it can be easy to overlook William Eklund.
The San Jose Sharks are now Macklin Celebrini’s team. Eklund is just one of San Jose’s galaxy of young stars, along with Celebrini, Will Smith, Michael Misa, Igor Chernyshov, Collin Graf, Sam Dickinson, and Yaroslav Askarov.
This is a far cry from the 2021 Draft, when the Sharks made Eklund the No. 7 pick. At that point, he was just San Jose’s second top-10 selection in 14 years. He was an oasis in a bone-dry system that had mortgaged pick after pick to try to win a Stanley Cup.
Eklund felt special then, and he showed, in a 3-2 win over the Chicago Blackhawks on Monday, that he can still be a special NHL player.
The San Jose Sharks are now two points behind the Los Angeles Kings for the last wild card spot in the West, with a game in hand. If San Jose manages to make the playoffs for the first time since 2019, Eklund’s recent play, five points in his last three games, has a lead role.
Frankly, it’s been an up-and-down third full season for Eklund. After a breakout sophomore campaign with 17 goals and 58 points, the 5-foot-10 winger is behind that pace with 14 goals and 48 points with six games to go.
Of course, it’s not all about points, but a torrid October for Eklund, five goals and 11 points in 11 contests, set a pace for the season that the young winger has not been able to keep up with.
That said, the best of Eklund, which we saw in October and for parts of Sharks games post-Olympics and tonight, is an impact winger and a better all-around player than last year.
It’s also easy to overlook Eklund because of his 5-foot-10 frame, but he’s a smart and determined checker, who’s capable of overcoming his size in the best league in the world. The question isn’t if he can, but if he can do it more?
Not a lot of #SJSharks fans know this, but William Eklund’s nickname is actually “Slippery Pete”. 🚨🇸🇪💦 pic.twitter.com/MGv8uaSWdJ
— SnipeCity420 (@SnipeCity420) April 7, 2026
Eklund (72) reads off Celebrini (71) here: When Celebrini cuts Wyatt Kaiser (44) off from the middle of the ice, Eklund smartly jumps on the other side of Kaiser, picking off a telegraphed pass to Connor Bedard (98).
“He’s a water bug out there, he’s just so tenacious,” linemate Kiefer Sherwood remarked.
Eklund has obviously had trouble finishing this season — before tonight, he had two goals in his last 32 games — but he possesses 25-goal skill, at least.
This 200-foot effort got the Sharks going, tying the game at one apiece.
Eklund then helped San Jose grab a 2-1 lead, showcasing his bread-and-butter passing and vision.
Eklund ⏩ Sherwood!🚨 #SJSharks pic.twitter.com/yCIQLo53PD
— SnipeCity420 (@SnipeCity420) April 7, 2026
It looks like a routine pass, and for Eklund, it is, but an essential, look at the passer’s eyes: The Swede looks off Sherwood (44), feinting like he’s going to the point, then rips a hard and accurate dish into his target’s wheelhouse.
“I like to play when it matters most,” Eklund said.
If that holds true, and he can finish the season on a tear, that will erase the bittersweet note of an inconsistent year.
Remember, Eklund is just 23. Like any young player pretty much not named Celebrini, consistency is hard to earn in the NHL, especially in a losing environment like San Jose’s has been. You gain bad habits when you lose, and bad habits can be hard to break.
But for one night, Eklund show everyone who he can be, in all three zones. Again, the question isn’t if he can, but if he can do it more?
“He’s a man on a mission. He’s playing on the inside. He’s got a direct game to himself, and he wants to puck on his stick. He’s feeling it right now, as far as where his game is at,” San Jose Sharks head coach Ryan Warsofsky said. “He’s skating. His legs look good. He’s a guy that just really, really wants it. He wants to be a difference-maker. He’s really grabbing on to this type of hockey, which is really important.”
Will Smith
William Eklund
Kiefer Sherwood
Sherwood, on Eklund’s growth as a player:
He’s a water bug out there, he’s just so tenacious. He gets in on the forecheck. I feel like we were pretty good at reading off each other and just pressuring and getting the puck back sometimes. He gets his nose over it and creates a lot of possession for Wenny. I think the other numbers and stuff will take care of itself, when you just play the right way and continue to create looks.
Ryan Warsofsky
Warsofsky went out of his way to highlight Misa’s game: “Misa was really good tonight. He was skating, he was on the puck.”
— Sheng Peng (@Sheng_Peng) April 7, 2026
Warsofsky, on matching the Celebrini line best-on-best against Connor Bedard for most of game:
In the third period, probably a nothing play to you guys, but Mack’s underneath a wall battle on the defensive side. I was celebrating like it was a big goal. Because I think that’s a good growth moment of how you need to play in that situation and play the D side of it, on a wall battle, something that we’ve talked a lot about, and it doesn’t really surprise me that Mac picks it up so quickly. Those are the moments that ultimately help you win games this time of year.