The San Jose Sharks announced on Friday that they would be returning rookie forward William Eklund to Djurgarden, his Swedish Club.

Eklund was the 7th overall pick in the 2021 NHL Draft, and showed some promise in his short time with the team. The 19-year-old had four assists in nine games. If he had played one more game, he would have burned a year of his three-year entry-level contract.

Both San Jose's coaches and players have said nothing but positive things about Eklund, but the decision was made to let him get some more experience in order to develop more efficiently.

«He's a talented, talented young man,» Sharks assistant coach John MacLean said recently. «He is going to have a long career in the NHL. He has things we can't teach, but there are things that he needs to learn.»

Eklund played in the top-six during the entirety of his 9-game audition with the team, skating with both Tomas Hertl's line as well as Logan Couture's. It is likely that Alexander Barabanov will take his place in the lineup.

theathletic.com

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