C/LW William Eklund - San Jose Sharks, NHL (2021, 7th, SJS)

[GetFocht]

I'd be totally shocked if either Eklund or Hughes fell to Vancouver at #9, Detroit would take one of them easily at #6.

Yeah it seems more evident he is going to 6 now.

 

[Szechwan]

I'd be totally shocked if either Eklund or Hughes fell to Vancouver at #9, Detroit would take one of them easily at #6.

Yeah that'd be a dream as a Van fan, but I don't see it.

Who knows though, this draft might be a complete gong show given the scouting limitations. All it takes is for the 3 teams ahead to have a single player available that they ranked higher.

 

[majormajor]

All it takes is for the 3 teams ahead to have a single player available that they ranked higher.

Eklund strikes me as the exact sort of player that could fall because of that. Everyone is going to like him as a prospect, he's well-rounded and safe, but he could also be everyone's second-favorite.

 

[Baaaaaaaaaaaaah]

Eklund is #1 on my board right now. This is the type of draft to go for pure ceiling. The safe players are too mediocre.

 

[Number1RedWingsFan52]

Yeah that'd be a dream as a Van fan, but I don't see it.

Who knows though, this draft might be a complete gong show given the scouting limitations. All it takes is for the 3 teams ahead to have a single player available that they ranked higher.

This is true, This year draft is a complete turkey shoot. All 32 GMs are going to have a far different list then in the past.

 

[majormajor]

Eklund is #1 on my board right now. This is the type of draft to go for pure ceiling. The safe players are too mediocre.

He is a safe player. And people do debate Eklund's ceiling.

 

[OgeeOgelthorpe]

He is a safe player. And people do debate Eklund's ceiling.

Who has debated his ceiling? The worst I've heard is that he might only be a complementary 1st line scoring winger. That's hardly a knock. A guy like William Nylander is only a complementary scoring winger.

 

[majormajor]

Who has debated his ceiling? The worst I've heard is that he might only be a complementary 1st line scoring winger. That's hardly a knock. A guy like William Nylander is only a complementary scoring winger.

Nylander is a really damn good scoring winger, it's very hard to get a player like him. He reliably paces 60+ pts.

A complementary scoring winger to me is a 50-60 pt guy that doesn't add enough away from the puck to be a core piece, and they're usually not hard to get. You could go acquire a JVR, or an Andre Burakovsky, or a Clayton Keller or a Jordan Eberle right now and it wouldn't cost you much more than their salary. And you wouldn't spend a top ten pick on a player that you could easily trade for.

I'm not saying any of that to knock Eklund, I'm talking about his low-end projection. I don't see him being any lower than that and he could be a step above that.

 

[Orca Smash]

I'd be totally shocked if either Eklund or Hughes fell to Vancouver at #9, Detroit would take one of them easily at #6.

I would to, but every year some team goes off the board and it pushes players back. Zegras had no business getting to 9. Quinn had no business making it passed detroit and getting to van. Did not think rossi would make it to 9 last year.

 

[OgeeOgelthorpe]

Nylander is a really damn good scoring winger, it's very hard to get a player like him. He reliably paces 60+ pts.

A complementary scoring winger to me is a 50-60 pt guy that doesn't add enough away from the puck to be a core piece, and they're usually not hard to get. You could go acquire a JVR, or an Andre Burakovsky, or a Clayton Keller or a Jordan Eberle right now and it wouldn't cost you much more than their salary. And you wouldn't spend a top ten pick on a player that you could easily trade for.

I'm not saying any of that to knock Eklund, I'm talking about his low-end projection. I don't see him being any lower than that and he could be a step above that.

Eklund is excellent defensively. He definitely adds a lot away from the puck.

Jordan Eberle is a 50-70 point winger, not someone easily traded for. He's also gotten a lot better defensively since Trotz took over. And JVR has some 30 goal seasons. I don't think those are very good comparables. They're all in the Nylander ballpark.

 

[majormajor]

Eklund is excellent defensively. He definitely adds a lot away from the puck.

Jordan Eberle is a 50-70 point winger, not someone easily traded for. He's also gotten a lot better defensively since Trotz took over. And JVR has some 30 goal seasons. I don't think those are very good comparables. They're all in the Nylander ballpark.

I think Eklund is probably going to a plus in the defensive department but who knows if he'll be a difference maker in that regard, it's hard to project defense for a forward prospect, unless they leap off the page like Beniers. If Eklund becomes a 50 pt player with average defense, then no I don't think that is worth a top ten pick. It's respectable but you can go and trade for Eberle instead (yes, you actually can, the Isles need cap space) and use the top ten pick on an asset that you can't trade for.

 

[OgeeOgelthorpe]

I think Eklund is probably going to a plus in the defensive department but who knows if he'll be a difference maker in that regard, it's hard to project defense for a forward prospect, unless they leap off the page like Beniers. If Eklund becomes a 50 pt player with average defense, then no I don't think that is worth a top ten pick. It's respectable but you can go and trade for Eberle instead (yes, you actually can, the Isles need cap space) and use the top ten pick on an asset that you can't trade for.

Eklund is a takeaway machine for a forward his age. I think in the scouching he mentioned that Eklund was getting around 0.75 takeaways per game. I don't think you're looking at a guy who is going to be a hard hitting grinding type but the kind of guy who can play like a shadow in the neutral and defensive zone. There's a reason why some people think this kid can be Zetterberg 2.0.

 

[majormajor]

Eklund is a takeaway machine for a forward his age. I think in the scouching he mentioned that Eklund was getting around 0.75 takeaways per game. I don't think you're looking at a guy who is going to be a hard hitting grinding type but the kind of guy who can play like a shadow in the neutral and defensive zone. There's a reason why some people think this kid can be Zetterberg 2.0.

Right, I'm just describing the low-end of his upside, not the high-end.

 

[lawrence]

the next Zetterberg.

 

[405Entrance]

I need this guy next to zegras for the next decade. The culture needs it.

 

[Jersey Fan 12]

Eklund is a takeaway machine for a forward his age. I think in the scouching he mentioned that Eklund was getting around 0.75 takeaways per game. I don't think you're looking at a guy who is going to be a hard hitting grinding type but the kind of guy who can play like a shadow in the neutral and defensive zone. There's a reason why some people think this kid can be Zetterberg 2.0.

Reassuring post with regards to his game in his own end. My first inclination was thinking reuniting him and Holtz with the Devils would be a good thing.

On second thought, I was thinking NJ already has an undersized skill forward from Sweden who is a train wreck in his own end.

 

[Ed Ned and Leddy]

the next Zetterberg.

I see this a lot and I'm not sure folks recognize how lofty this comparison is. Zetterberg was a Conn Smythe winner. His best season he had 43 goals and 49 assists in 75 games. He was a Selke and Calder nominee, gold medalist, franchise captain, etc. I'm not sure I see where folks see 40g upside here, even 30g seems pretty ambitious for Eklund. And stylistically, I'm not sure we can ignore the fact that Zetterberg in his prime was damn near impossible to knock off the puck. In none of my viewings of Eklund have I seen a player who projects to shield the puck on the cycle nearly as well as Zetterberg did.

I obviously can't say that Eklund can never ever be that player, but it feels to me like people see undersized Swedish two-way forward and have really decided to shoot for the moon without digging deeper into the comparison.

 

[bsu]

I see this a lot and I'm not sure folks recognize how lofty this comparison is. Zetterberg was a Conn Smythe winner. His best season he had 43 goals and 49 assists in 75 games. He was a Selke and Calder nominee, gold medalist, franchise captain, etc. I'm not sure I see where folks see 40g upside here, even 30g seems pretty ambitious for Eklund. And stylistically, I'm not sure we can ignore the fact that Zetterberg in his prime was damn near impossible to knock off the puck. In none of my viewings of Eklund have I seen a player who projects to shield the puck on the cycle nearly as well as Zetterberg did.

I obviously can't say that Eklund can never ever be that player, but it feels to me like people see undersized Swedish two-way forward and have really decided to shoot for the moon without digging deeper into the comparison.

You should watch more games, Eklund is strong as shit on the puck literally one of his best assets.

 

[Osakahaus]

I think he should be first overall instead of power.

 

[Ed Ned and Leddy]

You should watch more games, Eklund is strong as shit on the puck literally one of his best assets.

In my viewings I've seen good edgework and lower body strength. Zetterberg in his prime rivaled the best players in the league at puck protection and cycling, off my head only Crosby was likely better in terms of strength on the puck (I may vey well be forgetting similar players).

If my comment suggested that Eklund was weak on the puck then that was poor phrasing on my part, I don't think that's the case. But I think there's a massive leap to reach Zetterberg heights in that regard. This reminds me of when folks here compared Kappo Kakko to Peter Forsberg. I think people underestimate the gap between doing something well at the SHL/Liiga level and dominating in that aspect at the NHL level.

 

[Web In Front]

I see a lot of Ondrej Palat in his game with maybe a little more speed and a little less strength/physicality. But the same passing vision, two-way commitment and willingness to play on the inside.

 

[OgeeOgelthorpe]

I see this a lot and I'm not sure folks recognize how lofty this comparison is. Zetterberg was a Conn Smythe winner. His best season he had 43 goals and 49 assists in 75 games. He was a Selke and Calder nominee, gold medalist, franchise captain, etc. I'm not sure I see where folks see 40g upside here, even 30g seems pretty ambitious for Eklund. And stylistically, I'm not sure we can ignore the fact that Zetterberg in his prime was damn near impossible to knock off the puck. In none of my viewings of Eklund have I seen a player who projects to shield the puck on the cycle nearly as well as Zetterberg did.

I obviously can't say that Eklund can never ever be that player, but it feels to me like people see undersized Swedish two-way forward and have really decided to shoot for the moon without digging deeper into the comparison.

My dude, I generally respect your takes but on certain players in this draft you are way off. Eklund is one of them.

Eklund's puck protection abilities are probably top notch in this draft. Looking back at 2002 to 2004 Zetterberg and you'll see that he and Eklund are eerily similar as players. Good but not great skaters. Exceptional stickhandlers but not flashy. Great and very underrated shots. Incredible sense of where his teammates are on the ice at all times and the passing ability to somehow get his passes right through traffic. Hustles hard and puts in the effort on defense.

I'm not expecting 80 and 90 point Zetterberg out of the kid but I sincerely think he's the best overall and highest potential forward in this draft. I'd expect him to start out in similar fashion to Z with some 40 and 50 point seasons and tease of much more to come before he really gets it. Eklund has the kind of hockey sense that you just can't teach. I'm speaking blasphemy to my fellow Red Wings fans, but Eklund is a better prospect in his draft year than Lucas Raymond was in his draft year.

 

[Osakahaus]

Buffalo are fools if they dont take him. sorry. get him over power. you absolutely do not need another defenseman

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

It won’t be a popular comparison, but pre injury Robby Fabbri. Most forget how good Fabbri was before tearing his ACL.

 

[DatDude44]

It won’t be a popular comparison, but pre injury Robby Fabbri. Most forget how good Fabbri was before tearing his ACL.

I’m still sad about that. Loved pre injury fabbri, his stat line didn’t do him justice that 2nd year.