San Jose Sharks forward William Eklund is having a strong season and thought he did enough to make Team Sweden\u2019s Olympic hockey roster.<\/p>\n
Unfortunately, Eklund was not chosen to represent his home country. Fellow Sharks teammate Alexander Wennberg<\/a> will get to play for Sweden, which Eklund said he was happy about. In 37 games this season, Eklund has 26 points (10 goals, 16 assists) and has been a reliable source of offense.<\/p>\n While he dealt with a minor injury, Eklund\u2019s season has been good, but the winger understands he did everything he could to make the team, but it just didn\u2019t happen.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s hockey, it\u2019s life. You try as [hard] as you can to make a roster. You try to do what you can to make it,\u201d Eklund told reporters. \u201cI don\u2019t know [where I came up short], to be honest.\u201d<\/p>\n In early November, Eklund told SHD that he and Team Sweden\u2019s management had talked<\/a> about playing for Sweden at the 2026 Winter Olympics. On Friday, Eklund told reporters that Sweden liked how he played, but it just wasn\u2019t enough.<\/p>\n \u201cThey liked what they saw about me. They like how I played this year and that stuff,\u201d Eklund explained. \u201cBut more than that, I\u2019m just gonna keep that private.\u201d<\/p>\n That wasn\u2019t the only thing that Eklund kept private. Players who have been part of the IIHF\u2019s Olympic drug testing must remain in the program to be eligible as a replacement should any player get hurt or be unable to participate. Countries will have until their first game in the tournament to replace players on their rosters. Eklund declined to say if he is remaining part of the testing.<\/p>\n Eklund is clearly disappointed to not to have made Team Sweden. He kept all conversations about potentially staying on a reserve list or Olympic drug testing to himself. #SJSharks<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Max Miller (@Real_Max_Miller) January 2, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n The San Jose Sharks winger has had a bit of bad luck in his attempts to play for Team Sweden. Over the Summer, Eklund suffered a serious wrist injury<\/a> in a pre-tournament game ahead of the Worlds. Eklund was cut on the wrist and would miss the entire tournament, but was ready for Sharks training camp.<\/p>\n \u201cI went through a lot of things, mental stuff, too,\u201d Eklund said about the string of bad luck. \u201cYou learn a lot from it. You learn how to get up and get better.\u201d<\/p>\n Eklund said his focus is now entirely on the San Jose Sharks\u2019 push for the playoffs. Barring becoming an injury replacement, Eklund can take the Olympic break to rest and recover and come back ready to be a big part of a push for the postseason.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve been like that a whole season. You want to play your heart out every night and work with every guy in here [and] for our fans. To make the playoffs, I think it would be a great thing for us.\u201d<\/p>\n Eklund and the Sharks learned a valuable lesson from a veteran Tampa Bay Lightning team on Saturday. While losing 7-3, Eklund\u2019s impact in standing up for Macklin Celebrini<\/a> was front and center. The winger says every guy on his team would go to bat for anyone.<\/p>\n \u201cEverybody\u2019s gonna have each other\u2019s back in this team. That\u2019s something we\u2019ve been showing the whole year, and I think we did today,\u201d Eklund said postgame.<\/p>\n Read more news and stories about the San Jose Sharks on\u00a0Sharks Hockey Digest<\/a>! Bookmark the page and follow Sharks Hockey Digest on Twitter @SharksHKYDigest<\/a>!<\/p>\n