San Jose Sharks forward William Eklund will spend a lot of time with friends and family this summer.
The Swedish winger will play for his home country at the 2025 IIHF World Championship and then will be with his brother, Victor, at the 2025 NHL Draft.
Fellow Sharks teammate Alexander Wennberg will also play for Sweden. Eklund told reporters that staying on the same line as Wennberg would be fun.
Eklund was drafted during the COVID-19 NHL Draft in 2021, so he did not experience a normal draft. The draft was held entirely virtually.
“I’m just telling him to enjoy the moment. This moment doesn’t come back,” Eklund said. “I didn’t have the exact same [experience as he will]. It is going to be a cool and special moment for him in his career.”
The winger knows there’s a chance that the San Jose Sharks will draft his brother, and doesn’t want to get ahead of himself.
“It’s something I can’t control, but obviously it would be cool to have him here,” Eklund said. “He’s a real hard worker, and I know what he brings every day. I’ve seen it on a daily basis. [Any] team who is going to [draft] him is going to be happy.”
Victor Eklund was ranked second in the final NHL Central Scouting rankings among international skaters.
Eklund gives scouting report on his brother
The San Jose Sharks winger told reporters that his brother’s play style reminds him of Philadelphia Flyers forward Travis Konecny.
Konecny is a scrappy winger who plays with an edge while boasting potent offense. The Flyers winger had 24 goals and 52 assists in 82 games and played for Team Canada at the 4 Nations Face-Off.
“He [plays] that Travis Konecny type, that’s how I would describe him. He’s in your face. He works his ass off for his teammates. Blocks shots. Scores goals, and he’s a competitive guy,” Eklund explained. “He’s gonna bring it every day, be working the hardest [in the] gym, and always be there. That’s what I love about him.”
Victor Eklund had a terrific draft year as he scored 31 points in 42 games while playing in Sweden.
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