Sharks 2023-24 Player Grades: William Eklund

Eklund’s offensive production picked up a bit when the Sharks finally won their first game of the season. Including the game against the Philadelphia Flyers on Nov. 7, he recorded three points in his next four games. He hadn’t necessarily started a hot streak yet, because he was still relatively inconsistent, but things were trending upward for the young Swedish forward. His best offensive performance in the 2023 half of the season came against the New York Islanders where he recorded a goal and two assists for his first three-point night on Dec. 5. He then followed that up with a point in each of the next two games. He did fall off a bit as the new year approached and passed, going pointless in five games between Dec. 23 and Jan. 2, before going four games without a point a little over a week later starting on Jan. 13 against the Ottawa Senators. 

As the end of the season drew closer, Eklund started finding his rhythm more and more. In the last ten games of the 2023-24 season, he recorded 11 points including his first career hat trick (on a hat giveaway night nonetheless) against the St. Louis Blues on April 6. Eklund had some issues with consistency during the season, but that was the same with every member of the Sharks and generally, it can be said about roughly 90% of players in the NHL. He found his way onto the scoresheet in 36 of the 80 games he played and put up a total of 45 points. It was a very respectable season for the 21-year-old and he needs to continue to build on it next season. 

Eklund’s Development

As I said previously, for Eklund this season was all about development. He needed to take a major step forward in many different areas and it’s safe to say he did so. His one-timer is lethal and will be a major factor in the Sharks’ offense for years to come, especially on the power play. Over the course of the season, he got more confidence in using it, which is just as important as having the skill in the first place.

A technician who doesn’t use his tools is just as useless as one without any and the same is true in the NHL. Eklund’s defensive play, as we already discussed, improved significantly and most importantly he got confidence in general despite the lackluster performance of the team as a whole.

Overall, Eklund had a very strong season, however, it was far from perfect at the same time. He’s on the right track and next season if he can find a little more consistency then he’ll almost certainly break into the “A” grades. He was very close but ultimately I don’t think his season was quite deserving of that honor, but he’ll get there. Next season, we’ll be looking for more of the same. He needs to continue improving and finding ways to be effective on both sides of the ice. 

Grade: B+