William Eklund

coooldude

Registered User
Sponsor
Jul 25, 2007
4,586
5,717
Creative in the offensive zone, especially with passing, very intelligent player in e.g. forechecking and defending to cause turnovers, getting smarter all around off the puck, and has a pretty dangerous shot on the PP wing. Wins more puck battles than you might expect given his size. Not a speedster but makes up for it in positioning and vision, kind of like Pavs. He looks like he belongs and hopefully he has another 2-3 seasons of improvement before he hits a steady state for his career.
 

Alaskanice

Registered User
Sep 23, 2009
7,261
8,137
1 1/2 hours away
This kid is probably not going to lead the league in scoring but he’ll be the guy who shines in the playoffs. He is a puck hound. He gets underneath guys in a flash to win the puck. He changes direction for space. He protects the puck with his body and is slippery. He possesses a great shot and is not afraid of the dirty areas. He is talented in the ways that help lead a team.
 

Sendhelplease

Registered User
Dec 21, 2020
476
1,018
He seems to be a player with immense offensive skill but has been unable to fully use it on this team given the lack of scoring ability around him. Defensively he is a solid player already and I think he is going to be an incredibly well rounded two way forward. I expect his offensive stats to improve substantially when he is surrounded by other good players who can finish his passes.
 

Jargon

Registered User
Apr 12, 2011
6,507
11,799
Venice, California
He’s a little bit like a robot constantly training itself to get better. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a player process their own problems and then improve upon them so quickly and efficiently. He’s incredibly cerebral and one of those key cogs to a Stanley Cup winner. Put a pure high end sniper on his line and he’s going to put up a ton of points.

In fact, I think he’s going to have a big second half of the season. He’s a really special player.
 

Alaskanice

Registered User
Sep 23, 2009
7,261
8,137
1 1/2 hours away
He’s a little bit like a robot constantly training itself to get better. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a player process their own problems and then improve upon them so quickly and efficiently. He’s incredibly cerebral and one of those key cogs to a Stanley Cup winner. Put a pure high end sniper on his line and he’s going to put up a ton of points.

In fact, I think he’s going to have a big second half of the season. He’s a really special player.
His dad played professional hockey and taught him a lot. Mostly, how to be aggressive. Not something one sees much in skilled players.
 

Juxtaposer

Outro: Divina Comedia
Dec 21, 2009
50,285
24,352
Bay Area
To elaborate on this:

2 points in his first 11 games
12 points in his last 18 games

Dual threat to pass or to shoot, plays well at all strengths (PP, EV, PK), four GWG so far, plays with an edge and is surprisingly physical considering his stature. I said at the beginning of the year that if Eklund put up 40 points this year I would be happy. Think he could exceed that now.
 

timorous me

Gristled Veteran
Apr 14, 2010
2,356
3,931
I love him. That's all.

Actually, hmm, I would say what I'm most impressed by outside of his shot improvement is his physical improvement. Remember how worried we were for him a couple years ago when he debuted? Now he's mucking it up with guys practically twice his size and looks really hard to knock off the puck, let alone off his feet.
 

Eye of Ra

Grandmaster General of the International boards
Nov 15, 2008
19,023
5,258
Malmö, Sweden
His dad played professional hockey and taught him a lot. Mostly, how to be aggressive. Not something one sees much in skilled players.
His dad was a grinder

 

Barrie22

Shark fan in hiding
Aug 11, 2009
25,679
7,238
ontario
I love him. That's all.

Actually, hmm, I would say what I'm most impressed by outside of his shot improvement is his physical improvement. Remember how worried we were for him a couple years ago when he debuted? Now he's mucking it up with guys practically twice his size and looks really hard to knock off the puck, let alone off his feet.
Who was worried about Eklund after his first 9 game stint? He showed he had the talent to play at this level even back then, just that he was trying things at the NHL level that maybe would not work or would get him injured by opening him up for a big hit.

Eklund was one of the prospects we could of rushed without actually hurting his development.
 

BaileyMacTavish

Hockey lovin' wolf
Nov 8, 2010
14,392
1,912
San Jose
To elaborate on this:

2 points in his first 11 games
12 points in his last 18 games

Dual threat to pass or to shoot, plays well at all strengths (PP, EV, PK), four GWG so far, plays with an edge and is surprisingly physical considering his stature. I said at the beginning of the year that if Eklund put up 40 points this year I would be happy. Think he could exceed that now.
He's on a 43 point pace so it's possible
 

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