BSH 2021 Community Draft Board, No. 5: William Eklund

William Eklund is clearly head and shoulders above other European first round prospects.

Playing in the SHL full time last season (he played 20 SHL games in 2019-2020), Eklund overtook Alexander Holtz (who is also his teammate and, in fact, his teammate) and Lucas Raymond in the first round of 2020 and delivered a solid season post-performance. Many consider Eklund to be the most adept at the draft in terms of raw materiality, and since I have personally wanted to favor the European perspective of the men’s leagues, I should agree.

BSH 2021 Community Draft Board, No. 5: William Eklund

2020-21 season:

Team: Djurgrdens IF (SHL)

Statistics: 11 G, 12 A at 40 GP

Pre – natural investments

No. 1 (European skaters) NHL Scouts

No. 3 by Future considerations

No. 2 by Dobber views

No. 7 by TSN

What to keep there?

He does such plays quite routinely:

His overall best qualities are that no matter what situation he is placed in, he can use his next level of hockey intelligence to master the game perfectly. Rarely do you see Eklund making silly, thoughtless mistakes on the puck as he reads and watches the game progress. When you combine this next level of situational awareness with good skating skills, circling, elite hands in border areas, hard accurate shots, and solid gameplay, you have a daunting opportunity that shows you are already ready to play against men in the NHL.

Eklund is not a quick move, but his skating is higher than average. Where he stands out from his skating is his agility and inevitability. His ability to weave defenders in and out (combined with his mindless hands) leaves defenders willing to play him conservatively, which is a recipe for disaster if you’re on a defensive team.

Where Eklund really succeeds is in terms of its puck. There really isn’t any scenario or space on the ice where Eklund isn’t dangerous, and he can beat the goalkeepers with a punch shot as easily as he can hang close.

His shot is not only really good, but Eklund always keeps his feet moving and explores the dangerous areas of the attacking area and is not afraid to use behind the net and around the boards.

Eklund is also a very creative passer-by, and he becomes efficient because of how fast he moves the puck.

All of these offensive skills and hockey sense also provide good conditions for Eklunds to play in transition, and why he may not be a prototypical two-way progression defense, he is responsible for defense and his best qualities in this regard are how he can help break the puck out and help in transition.

What shouldn’t?

Eklund is pretty fast, but he’s not a burner with any stretch, and he’s not an explosive skater. You don’t see him challenging people like Connor McDavid and Mat Barzal in this regard. Otherwise, there are not many holes in Eklunds. If you’re looking for a clean two-way forward, Eklund is probably not an ideal choice, but is good enough in his defense, and his clean skill on the puck should persuade all teams to pick him up.

Even as a younger player, Eklunds ’strength has not been a problem for him. He’s not the heaviest, but he’s certainly strong and not afraid to be physical, especially at the forefront.

We really have NHL capability ahead with Eklund.

How would he fit Flyers system?

For the Flyers team, which needs all possible offensive help, Eklund paired nicely with strikers like Oskar Lindblom and Scott Laughton among the top six to start their careers. Eklund would add skill to the Flyers depth chart, and his willingness to be aggressive at the forefront and mix it on the field complements their style of play.

Sure, the Flyers have a lot of young talent, Joel Farabee and Wade Allison, Morgan Frost and Nic Aube-Kubel, but Eklund could easily be the most skilled forward of them all after all.

Could the Flyers really get him?

Probably not.

Flyers are unlikely to launch Eklund with a 13th overall selection. At most outlets, Eklund goes into the top ten, even some (quite rightly) into the top five. The rumor around Eklund has seemingly only grown, so it will probably be true for the Flyers.

Make one addition to the survey:

Jesper Wallstedt – G, Lule HF – 0.908 SV% at 22 GP

Under the age of 18, Wallstedt has a virtually immaculate resume. At the age of 13, he debuted at the u-18 junior level in Sweden. At the age of 14, he was one of the best goalkeepers at the u-18 level. At the age of 15, he jumped to the u-20 level before dominating the same level at the age of 16-17. He has also performed internationally in the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge and U-18 Juniors of the world. And now, just 18 years old, he has nine SHL games under his belt and in them deceptive, 931 sv%. Not bad for a league with an average sv% of less than 910. – Alexander Appleyard, Smaht Scout