It’s safe to say, there weren’t many eyes on the San Jose Sharks during the 2023-24 season. They struggled heavily as a team, but despite those struggles, a couple of players had phenomenal individual seasons. One of those players is the seventh-overall pick from the 2021 NHL Draft, William Eklund. The 2024-25 season could be the one that elevates him to a household name around the NHL.
Eyes on San Jose
The additions of Macklin Celebrini and Will Smith to the Sharks’ forward core will make them a much more exciting team to watch this coming season. Fans of teams outside of the Pacific Division now have a reason to tune into Sharks games for the first time in quite a while. On an individual level, more eyes means a bigger opportunity to get noticed.
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For Eklund, this means he has a much bigger audience compared to the 2023-24 season. As a result, if he continues developing at the same rate we’ve seen from him so far in his career, he could become a well-respected name around the NHL very quickly. Sharks fans know how good he is, and it’s no surprise that he’s become one of the team’s most popular players among the fans. He may be quiet in front of the microphone, but his personality still finds a way to shine through.
A Strong Debut Season
A majority of the hype around the NHL’s rookie class was centered on Connor Bedard of the Chicago Blackhawks last season, and rightfully so. Eklund wasn’t eligible for the Calder Trophy because he played 17 games total over the course of the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons. As a result, he wasn’t talked about as much in his first full NHL season. That doesn’t mean he was struggling though; he truly came into his own at the end of the season alongside Mikael Granlund and Fabian Zetterlund. In 80 games, Eklund scored 16 goals and put 45 points which are very respectable numbers for a first full season. Now with a wider group of spectators, he has the chance to take an even bigger step forward. 60 or more points will definitely be doable.
Stronger Supporting Cast
Unless you’re talking about one of the league’s top superstars, a player in the NHL is generally only as good as those alongside him allow. A fantastic player surrounded by American Hockey League-caliber talent won’t be as strong as he would if he were with NHL-caliber players. The Sharks added both Tyler Toffoli and Alexander Wennberg who are great offensive players in two very different ways.
Depending on who head coach Ryan Warsofsky decided to play Eklund with, it would either improve his goal-scoring, assist numbers, or potentially both. Toffoli would score goals, allowing Eklund’s playmaking to shine through. Meanwhile, Wennberg is a pass-first type of center who would set up Eklund’s one-timer allowing him to put the puck in the back of the net at a higher rate. Suppose Warsofsky sticks with the “Lund Line” alongside Granlund and Zetterlund we saw last season. In that case, their chemistry will continue to develop and a full season with them all playing together could lead to massive increased point totals for all three of them.
With a lot more eyes on the Sharks organization this season, Eklund is in prime position to have a massive breakout and become a household name around the NHL. The organization’s management and coaching staff have done everything to put him in a position to succeed as well. Now, it’s on him to take advantage of the opportunity.
