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C/LW William Eklund - San Jose Sharks, NHL (2021, 7th, SJS)

Vide

Vide

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Does Eklund have any elite traits that would make him a legit top5 pick? I see a player who is very good in a lot of areas, but is there one where he is truly elite? Hockey IQ maybe? I haven't seen him enough to really know.
 
Tetsuo

Tetsuo

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Apr 11, 2018
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bossram said:
Which is why I think scouts can probably be a lot more confident in their projections vs. the defensemen.
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Guenther is probably one of the safer bets in this top range too.

But beyond that, Hughes, Power and Clarke all represent serious homerun swings. Hughes because of his size (relative to his brothers), skating and youth. Power because of his size and skating. Clarke because of his high-level creativity and improved defensive play. I think they have the highest upside of any skater in the draft, and I think all three will round out to be decent top 4 guys at worst.
 

Hen Kolland

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blank space said:
Does Eklund have any elite traits that would make him a legit top5 pick? I see a player who is very good in a lot of areas, but is there one where he is truly elite? Hockey IQ maybe? I haven't seen him enough to really know.
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This is one class that I really struggle to apply the term elite to any of the top prospects. I do think there are a lot of quality, well rounded players, but a particular elite attribute for any player? Not sure.
 
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clay

clay

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Hen Kolland said:
This is one class that I really struggle to apply the term elite to any of the top prospects. I do think there are a lot of quality, well rounded players, but a particular elite attribute for any player? Not sure.
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Beniers: elite intangibles.
 
Our Lady Peace

Our Lady Peace

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Hen Kolland said:
This is one class that I really struggle to apply the term elite to any of the top prospects. I do think there are a lot of quality, well rounded players, but a particular elite attribute for any player? Not sure.
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Johnson has elite hands and arguably elite IQ.
 
Prntscrn

Prntscrn

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Interview translated to English on his teams official website for anyone interested. Also a short 1 minute highlight package.

"The best thing about hockey is to be on the attack, right?"

“I really like Mathew Barzal of the New York Islanders. I think he’s very skilled with the puck, he has a low center of gravity and I like his skill when cornering. He uses his skating as a weapon out there and he’s not that big a guy either. I try to check and see what he’s doing out on the ice”

The two are quite alike. Barzal (6’0”/187Ibs) and Eklund (5’10”/172Ibs) are both somewhat smaller forwards who - to use Eklund´s own words - use speed as a weapon. William Eklund started skating at the age of 3, when he was living in Germany as his father, Christian, played for Augsburg in the DEL. With his mother Mia being a competitive figure skater, Eklund got the skating underway in the best possible way.
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OgeeOgelthorpe

OgeeOgelthorpe

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blank space said:
Does Eklund have any elite traits that would make him a legit top5 pick? I see a player who is very good in a lot of areas, but is there one where he is truly elite? Hockey IQ maybe? I haven't seen him enough to really know.
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Puck protection, passing.
The way he’s able to shield the puck as a smaller player really gives me Zetteeberg vibes.
 
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robert ethan

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Hen Kolland said:
This is one class that I really struggle to apply the term elite to any of the top prospects. I do think there are a lot of quality, well rounded players, but a particular elite attribute for any player? Not sure.
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Owen Power size/skill combo is elite. Victor Hedman level. Cole Sillinger and Chaz Lucius are elite level goal scorers, or close to it, at least.
 
ponder

ponder

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blank space said:
Does Eklund have any elite traits that would make him a legit top5 pick? I see a player who is very good in a lot of areas, but is there one where he is truly elite? Hockey IQ maybe? I haven't seen him enough to really know.
Click to expand...
I’d say his edges/agility - his raw speed is good but not crazy, but he’s super agile, really elusive and deceptive skater. Has the hands to go with it too.

His offensive game overall reminds me a fair bit of Kaprizov. The way they skate/move is very similar.
 
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Kevin Musto

Kevin Musto

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Feb 16, 2018
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NHL Dude 120 said:
whats his current contract situation and could he play RW?
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Contract runs til the end of the 2021-2022 season. So it'd be one more year in the SHL.

I don't believe I've ever seen him play RW. Can't say whether or not he could, just don't think it has happened thus far.
 
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Prntscrn

Prntscrn

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theslatcher said:
Has (finally) been moved up the lineup. Playing on the top line with Rakhshani, & Stoa today.
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Now let's hope Strandberg doesn't reinjure himself after 3 minutes again. Then Axelsson will probably be moved back up and Eklund down. But I'm excited to see this :yo:
 
Prntscrn

Prntscrn

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Eklund benefiting from time with Devils prospect ahead of 2021 NHL Draft

"He's a fantastic player with amazing playmaking ability and hockey sense, He battles hard all the time, is very creative, and now he's starting to get a really good shot too."

"He has that unique ability to make a difference and win games, which obviously is a great asset for a player his, or any age, for that matter."

"I would say I'm a playmaker who likes to work hard and open up plays for my teammates, I like to use my edge work and stickhandling to get into high-scoring areas."
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theslatcher

theslatcher

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Another nice dish on a Rakhshani goal today to grab sole possession of #5 in points for a DY season. 1 game of the regular season to go, his ppg will end up slightly lower than Bäckström's if he goes pointless, a point and it'll end up slightly above.

Would be fun to watch him play with competent defensemen, any pressure on Djurgården's and they will flub it up, heck, without any pressure they do it too!
 

prospectwizards

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Mar 24, 2021
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lawrence said:
I personally don't think any prospects from the 2021 draft will make the NHL. Maybe the 1st pick will see action due to the fact he was the 1st pick, and no first pick has not made the NHL right away since Erik Johnson.
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Every player this season would likely benefit from more development time. Eklund is having a similar statistical season to Backstrom, who went back for another season and then turned into one of the best centres in the league. It's very likely he could play next year, but more SHL time might make him an even better player, just based on what's worked for other top European prospects during their transitions. Am I off base with the Backstrom comparison, even though they've performed similarly?
 
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