William Eklund is the San Jose Sharks' top prospect. Here's how he can up his game.

The San Jose Sharks gave William Eklund a brief cameo in the NHL at the end of the season.

Eklund played in eight games, scored twice, and added a helper. His first career NHL goal came against the Columbus Blue Jackets on March 14.

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He also tucked a nice penalty shot against the Seattle Kraken in the very next game.

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When the Sharks drafted Eklund in the first round of the 2021 NHL Draft, he immediately became the organization's top prospect. The Swede has a good hockey sense and grades as an above-average NHL skater. 

Listed at 5'11 and 181 lbs, Eklund needs to make sure he protects himself on the ice at all times. His hockey IQ will help with this, as in the eight games we saw him at the NHL level, he constantly found the soft areas of the ice.

In 54 games in AHL this season, the former seventh-overall pick scored 41 points. He tucked 17 goals and showed off a strong ability to take a one-timer while on the power play.

Eklund had nine PP goals for the Cuda, and with Timo Meier now out of the picture, Eklund needs to be at the forefront of goal-scoring. He may not be totally known for that part of his game, but with where the prospect pool is at currently, he could become a key goal-scoring contributor.

Eklund averaged 2.25 shots per game when he was with the San Jose Sharks.  That number figures to go up, given his aforementioned talent of the one-timer.

The left winger will also bring some much-needed improvement to team speed in head coach David Quinn's system. Quinn talked said he liked Eklund's game during his exit interview.

"I liked all of Eklund’s games, for the most part," Quinn said on April 15. "I think Mike [Grier has] done a really good job in a short time improving our talent pool and our depth with prospects."

According to Natural Stat Trick, at 5v5, Eklund was on the ice for 29 high-danger chances for and 29 high-danger chances against. Yes, he created a lot, but it seems fitting for a young NHLer that he was also on the ice for a lot of high-danger chances against. Across all situations, Eklund was on the ice for 48 HDCF and 34 HDCA. 

Eklund wasn't sheltered either. He averaged 19:50 TOI for the big club. Quinn wasn't afraid to put him on the ice for a faceoff in any zone. At 5v5, Eklund had 22 offensive zone starts, and 17 defensive zone starts. Yes, he did have a few more offensive zone starts, but Eklund is there for his offensive ability.

The offensive upside is there, and it is dynamic. His speed, skill, and hockey sense should allow him to be in the right spot on the ice at all times. If the Sharks get lucky and win the lottery, then the dynamic duo of Connor Bedard and Eklund would be must-see TV. 

If Eklund wants to become a top scorer for the Sharks, then he needs to continue to bulk up and improve his strength. His shot is good, but he needs to add some muscle behind it in order to beat NHL-quality netminders. His playmaking ability may help in certain situations, but the Sharks need goals, and Eklund has the potential to provide that.

Eklund's season was cut short due to a shoulder injury, but he is expected to be ready for training camp in September.