William Eklund’s 5 Best Moments as a Shark

Mike Grier, the Sharks general manager, universally impressed pundits who gave San Jose grades ranging from A to A++ with his incredible first-round selections in the 2026 Draft. The Sharks picked the pro-ready Swedish winger Ivar Stenberg second-overall, the physical specimen right-shot defenseman Keaton Verhoeff out of North Dakota ninth-overall and the cerebral puck moving defenseman Ryan Lin who has potential to be a two-way top-pairing defenseman, if he improves his skating, 21st-overall. In order for Grier to have such a successful draft, he had to trade valuable assets to acquire the pick that turned into Verhoeff. 

That asset was winger William Eklund, who was packaged with prospects Kasper Halttunen and Brandon Svoboda to the Ottawa Senators in exchange for the ninth pick. That trade, and the moves the Sharks made when free agency opened, effectively ended their rebuild by adding the final blue chip prospects they needed to address their biggest organizational hole at defense.

Even though San Jose is set up beautifully for the future and to compete for a playoff spot in 2026-27, it still wasn’t easy for fans to stomach a fan favorite as the sacrifice. Eklund will trade in his teal garb for black and red next season in Ottawa, but he will still be appreciated by Sharks fans as the first piece that helped guide the franchise out of the abyss. Here are his five best moments as a Shark.

Hat Trick on Hat Day

Eklund completed his first career hat trick on April 6, 2024 against the St. Louis Blues at SAP Center. It marked only the 18th of 19 wins the Sharks would cumulate that season, securing their spot as the worst team in the NHL in 2023-24. A month later, they selected Macklin Celebrini with the first-overall pick in the draft.

Before selecting Celebrini, who has now become one of the faces of the NHL, Sharks hockey was synonymous with not just losing, but utter humiliation. Eklund’s hat trick felt like a spark that meant San Jose could finally build momentum to end the on ice embarrassments that had defined them for years.

He not only scored his first hat trick, but also scored all three goals in a 3-2 overtime win. That moment was more than just a young player with a great game. The hats Sharks fans tossed on the ice, both baseball caps and the free straw hat giveaway, symbolized the franchise’s worst days were now behind them. That OT goal against the Blues cemented Eklund as a fan favorite in San Jose. His work ethic and the joy he played with endured him to the fanbase immediately.

First Career Goal

March 14, 2023, Eklund scored his first career goal against the Columbus Blue Jackets in the second period of a 6-5 OT loss. 

Defenseman Derrick Pouliot’s shot was rebounded by Eklund, who backhanded it from his knees past Blue Jackets goalie Daniil Tarasov to officially get on an NHL score sheet. 

In a season where the Sharks only won 22 games with minimal occasions to smile about, Eklund’s first pro goal was a bright spot, especially since he was disappointed being sent back to Sweden the year prior after just nine NHL games where he recorded four assists. His signature grinder style of play and bliss were evident early in the winger’s career and it helped him become a mainstay in San Jose’s lineup. 

Goal of the Year

The Sharks graduated from a slog to watch the last several years to a fun team who was at times appointment television in 2025-26, in large part because of Celebrini’s franchise record-breaking play. For a team on the rise that stayed in the playoff race until the very end, they ended the year with an awesome highlight that perfectly encapsulated their return to relevance.

On March 12, 2026, the Sharks beat the Bruins in Boston 4-2, but the news of the night came from a ridiculous goal scored by Eklund in the third period. Sharks defenseman Sam Dickinson stretched a cross ice pass to the Swedish winger who slipped under the Bruins’ last line of defense. Driving to the net, his first shot attempt flew off the goalie’s pads, to which Eklund batted the puck in mid-air top shelf while in he was mid dive. 

The Bobby Orr style goal in Boston deservedly was named as the goal of the year according to the NHL’s Top 10 Goals of 2025-26. 

OT Winner in Long Island

December 5, 2023, the Sharks rallied from three goals down in the third period to defeat the New York Islanders 5-4 at UBS Arena. Tomas Hertl scored a hat trick, goaltender Kaapo Kahkonen made 35 saves and Eklund buried the overtime winner with just 4.3 seconds left before shootouts. 

Mikael Granlund rushed from the defensive end down to the slot as the clock neared zero, sliding the puck behind him to Eklund, who stayed ready on his hip. As precious seconds came off the clock, he fired a one-timer past Islander goalie Ilya Sorokin. 

Eklund’s heroics and evolving play became a common theme on games where the Sharks actually won on the off chance.

Dad’s Trip OT Winner

On January 7, 2026, the San Jose Sharks took on the Los Angeles Kings at Crypto.com Arena in a game that is remembered for Celebrini’s late game heroics, but Eklund’s finish should share some of the spotlight.

In overtime, Celebrini stole the puck from Alex Laferriere to create a 2-on-1 rush. Still able to get a breakaway as the puck stuck between the referee’s skates, he recovered and entered the zone, sliding the puck to Eklund who roofed it by Darcy Kuemper to win the game 4-3. As the playmakers embraced in celebration on the ice, the television broadcast on NBC Sports California cut to the suite with all the fathers of the Sharks hi-fiving, who were in town on their annual dad’s trip. 

These plays demonstrate why Eklund became so popular in his tenure as a Shark and why 72 will still be spotted in droves at SAP Center even though he’s now a Senator. A tenacious player with a good attitude and a better work ethic made San Jose proud in an era where there was very little to be proud about on the ice. 

The departure of Eklund, and defenseman Mario Ferraro, now means that shockingly the 23-year-old forward Collin Graf is currently the longest tenured Sharks player. The NHL is a business, meaning sometimes teams have to let good players go. In this case, San Jose made a move that helped improve their biggest organizational weakness, but at the cost of a beloved player that they should be thankful for, helping the team usher in an exciting new era from a period of darkness.