With eleven goals in the season (so far) William Eklund is truly making his mark on both the SHL and at Djurgården. Having made his first team debut last season, the forward made the roster full time this year, and entered the season as a 17-year old. On October 12th, he turned 18.

Prior to his birthday, the youngster had scored his first two SHL goals in the first five games of the season. In his first games after becoming an adult, he went on a three game point streak (1-2-3). And when these words are being written, Eklund has 20 points to his name (7th on the team). Of those 20 points, eleven are goals, placing him second behind veteran forward Niclas Bergfors. And his play has attracted scouts from the NHL, wanting to see as much as they can prior to the upcoming Entry Draft this summer.

{!A}

Although he is being talked about, both nationally and internationally, the forward tries to remain with both feet on the ground. The NHL, and what the future might hold, is for another day.

“I try to focus on what I can affect and what I can do for Djurgården. Everything else… We’ll take that after the season” he says with a laugh.

Despite this, he is up to speed with what’s going on across the pond. Well, sort of.

“I have not idea where teams are in the standings. I mostly follow and watch individual players” he explains.

Are there any players you keep an extra eye on? Do you model your game based on the particular skills of anyone?

“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” Eklund says enthusiastically.

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. Nowadays, there’s no secret that some of the best players out there use figure skating coaches to adjust - or completely remake - their skating mid-career. As for Eklund, he is a firm believer that the foundation laid by his mother has helped him a lot.

“For sure. She knows the basics. After that we kind of built in more advanced stuff.” he says, continuing: “If you look at the hockey of today, about 70-80 percent of the time is spent around the boards. It’s quite easy to figure out that the time spent there is the most important time. Being able to turn and twist to (as fast as possible) get away from there with the puck is important. Actually, the goal is to get out of there with more speed than you entered with.”

Eklund also possesses a skill that gets the hearts of every fan beating a bit faster: His grit. On the (rare) occasion he loses puck possession, he is like a dog on a bone trying to get it back.

{!B}

I might be out on a limb here, but do you take pleasure in chasing after the opponents when you lose a puck? He laughs.

“The best thing with hockey is to be on the attack, right? So when you don’t have the puck, you have to go get it back. That’s my mentality. If someone has taken the puck from me, I’m hell-bent on getting it back. It’s just become a part of my game. I guess that is the aura around Djurgården. It’s been like that since I started playing here."

Anything for the emblem?

“Exactly. That’s what I’m trying to do. You have to put in the work every day.”

With Albin Grewe now in place in North America, where he is to play for the Saginaw Spirit of the OHL, and Alexander Holtz drafted by the New Jersey Devils, there is a slight albeit very real possibility that surely has tickled the minds of every Djurgården fan. “Imagine seeing two of these guys together in the NHL".

Do you dare to dream about stuff like that?

“Of course. One has many dreams. But at the same time, I think we all try to remain in the presence. There’s another time for dreaming.”

{!C}

Compared to the SHL sheets, the rink size in North America is smaller, but that doesn’t have to be a negative for a player like William Eklund.

“Everything is a bit closer” he chuckles. “In the offensive zone there’s almost always a chance of getting a goal. It is a bit different, you have to be quicker in your mind when playing the smaller rink. I’ve played both and I don’t mind either.”

Three games remain in the SHL regular season and Djurgården find themselves in a bit of a pickle, having lost four out of their last five games. The three games remaining see them face Brynäs, Linköping and Färjestad - with all of the games being played in Stockholm.

With both Brynäs and Linköping battling to avoid the relegation play-out series, Eklund says those games might look like playoff games.

Playoff hockey usually comes with an intense physical game and lots of chirping. Do you let the mouth leather fly from time to time?

He chuckles. “No, but there are ways to talk without using your mouth.”

Up to this point, William Eklund already has. Our conversation has come to an end for now. But rest assured, there are reasons for us to touch base again. Soon.