Sheng Peng
One ex-NHL head coach is impressed by what he’s seeing from William Eklund.
Five games into the 2021 first-rounder’s second San Jose Sharks stint – the then-teenager had four assists in nine games to begin last season before getting returned to Sweden – Eklund has just one assist.
But the points should be coming, if the 20-year-old keeps making the plays that he made in Saturday’s 5-2 loss to the Minnesota Wild.
I thought it was the winger’s best offensive performance since his call-up last weekend. Per Natural Stat Trick, Eklund was on the ice for seven High-Danger chances for and just three against at 5-on-5, his best ratio over the last week (going backwards from the St. Louis Blues’ game to his Washington Capitals season debut, 4-2, 2-6, 1-3, 1-7).
San Jose Sharks head coach David Quinn was also complimentary, “He had a really good game.”
It wasn’t just coach-speak, if you believe the coach that I asked about two Eklund plays that stood out to me last night.
Marcus Johansson (90) fetches a loose puck in the corner, and Eklund (72) forechecks. It’s probably a routine rim up the wall or reverse, but Johansson simply flubs the puck.
I don’t credit Eklund for that, but I do for what comes next.
The 5-foot-11 winger gained at least seven pounds of muscle over the summer, and I think you can see it here, as he turns what’s now a 50-50 puck battle into an easy-looking win.
He gets leverage under Johansson, holds off the 32-year-old’s attempts to re-gain the puck, and has the strength, vision, and skill to hit Erik Karlsson (65) in the slot for a dangerous chance.
“What impressed me here is the details in his game,” the coach offered, elaborating, “See how he checks Johansson’s hands, and cuts off his stick blade, then overpowers Johansson’s stick, then makes a great pass into the slot.”
Those are the little, unappreciated details: The crafty San Jose Sharks winger doesn’t attack Johansson’s stronger body on the 50-50, but his much weaker hands.
“That’s great details and a smart, heads-up pass,” he added. “These are the things that excite you as a coach, smart players who do the details.”
I loved how Eklund created space for himself against Selke candidate Joel Eriksson Ek (14).
The rookie fakes to his right, gets Eriksson Ek to stick check there – and at that instant, goes against the grain to his left, escaping the check and getting open on his backhand.
“Especially getting a [veteran] guy to bite?” the coach mused. “His deception is a product of hockey sense and I liked that. Great deception to create space.”
This is also a wonderful example of Eklund’s superb skating and edgework.
“Very good use of edges,” the coach agreed, “and he uses low-body position to get leverage, if he’s handled physically, which he isn’t.”
Not that everything is peachy keen. Let’s not forget how young the 20-year-old is, and in just his 14th NHL game.
“A young mistake is Eklund’s pass to the slot,” the coach said about Eklund’s backhand dish to a well-covered Fabian Zetterlund (20). “It’s not terrible. But today’s game is about puck possession and that’s what we call a hope pass.”
Leave it to a coach to harp on this detail.
But Eklund should be just fine.
“He’s honest. He’s got some skill and consistency,” Quinn said, when the San Jose Sharks recalled Eklund.
Just think about all the smallish, skilled wingers who haven’t cut it in the NHL over the years.
They’re never described as “honest” or “consistent” – and that’s what every NHL head coach looks for, often ahead of pure skill.
This is a 20-year-old with winning skill, and it appears, just as importantly, winning details.
“He’s only going to get better,” the coach said, “and his experience in the AHL has helped him with his growth as a player.”