PuckSleuth
27Ottawa Senators · Left wing · Shoots L
William Eklund
Age 23 · 5'10" · 185 lb · Born in Stockholm, SWE
Cap hit
$5.6M
5.4% of $104M cap
Term
3 yrs
Through 2028-29, then RFA
Clause
None
Surplus value
+$2.194M
vs. $7.794M market estimate
Confirmed by the public signing announcement · source
2025-26 regular season
GP
78
Goals
15
8.5% shooting
Assists
38
26 primary
Points
53
0.68 per game
TOI/GP
18:32
PP 2:55 · PK 0:25
xGF%
48.5
5v5, -1.5 vs. last yr
Game Score
+0.68
per game
Faceoff %
—
11 W · 20 L
Plus/minus
-31
Blocks 51 · Hits 72
Game log
Last 5 games · NHL API
| Game | G | A | SOG | HIT | BLK | TOI | PP | PK | FO | OZS% | GV | TK | +/- | GS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 16 @ WPG · W 6-1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 14:24 | 0:59 | 0:17 | — | 100 | 0 | 0 | +2 | +3.25 |
| Apr 15 @ CHI · L 5-2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 17:03 | 2:53 | 0:53 | — | 50 | 1 | 0 | -1 | +0.14 |
| Apr 13 @ NSH · W 3-2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 16:57 | 0:37 | 0:25 | 1-0 | 22 | 1 | 0 | -2 | +0.61 |
| Apr 11 vs VAN · OTL 4-3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 18:32 | 2:19 | 0:00 | — | 60 | 1 | 0 | 0 | +0.05 |
| Apr 9 @ ANA · L 6-1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 16:23 | 0:00 | 0:37 | — | 50 | 1 | 0 | 0 | +0.01 |
GS = our Game Score (credit for everything he did; goals and assists count most). FO = faceoffs won-lost. OZS% = share of his 5v5 offensive and defensive zone faceoff starts that were in the offensive zone. GV/TK = giveaways/takeaways.
Advanced metrics
5v5 unless noted · 2025-26 · 1,106 min · percentile vs. NHL forwards
44th percentile
70th percentile
42nd percentile
61st percentile
92nd percentile
50th percentile
26th percentile
58th percentile
58th percentile
75th percentile
2nd percentile
55th percentile
19th percentile
28th percentile
xGF% is his team's share of 5v5 expected goals while he was on the ice, from our own expected goals model; HDCF% counts only high-danger chances (xG of 0.15 or more). IPP is the share of his team's 5v5 goals while he was on the ice that he scored or assisted on. Relative stats compare him with his team when he was off the ice. Goals above expected and ixG/60 use his own shots at all strengths. PDO and OZS% describe luck and deployment, so their bars are grey.
Play stylePlaymaking winger
Trait percentiles vs. NHL wingers · 2025-26
Eklund is an elite pass-first creator who generates chances through exceptional playmaking vision and skill in dangerous areas. He plays a perimeter game that relies heavily on generating plays rather than direct shot attempts, and lacks the physicality and forechecking intensity to drive play in tighter spaces.
- Shooting volume
- 52
- Playmaking
- 91
- Zone entries(est.)
- 5
- Forechecking
- 34
- Physicality
- 37
- Defensive impact
- 51
- Puck management
- 47
- Speed
- 57
Where he shoots from
Slot 56% · Mid-range 36% · Perimeter 9%(247 unblocked shots)
Strengths
- 91st percentile playmaking creates high-volume scoring chances for teammates
- 57th percentile speed enables effective rush-chance generation and transition play
- 56% slot-shot distribution shows dangerous finishing-area positioning
Watch-outs
- 5th percentile rush chances limits his ability to create early-offense opportunities
- 34th percentile forechecking means limited impact on puck recovery in opponent zones
- 37th percentile physicality reduces effectiveness in board battles and space creation
Similar style: Lucas Raymond (DET), Conor Garland (CBJ)
Built from play-by-play, shift data, and NHL EDGE tracking. Zone entries is an estimate (rush chances while he is on the ice) until tracking data is added.
Where his Game Score comes from
2025-26 · 78 GP
Season total +52.8, or +0.68 per game.
- Scoring
- +39.2
- Shooting
- +13.2
- 5-on-5 goals
- -2.3
- Defense
- -0.4
- Physical play
- +4.0
- Puck battles
- -2.4
- Penalties
- +1.5
- Faceoffs
- -0.1
Game Score gives credit for everything a player does in a game. Goals (1.0) and assists (0.7 primary, 0.5 secondary) count most; shots, blocks, hits, takeaways, penalties drawn, faceoff wins, killing penalties, and holding down the other team's chances add to it. Only mistakes subtract: goals against at 5-on-5, giveaways, penalties taken, faceoff losses, and allowing more chances than an average player would. A player who is there to defend or kill penalties is not marked down for not scoring. Goalies are measured by goals saved above expected.
Career stats
From the NHL's player records
| Season | Team | GP | G | A | P | +/- | PIM | PPG | PPP | SHG | GWG | SOG | S% | TOI | FO% | GS/GP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021-22 | San Jose Sharks | 9 | 0 | 4 | 4 | -3 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0.0 | 14:20 | 37.5 | — |
| 2022-23 | San Jose Sharks | 8 | 2 | 1 | 3 | -5 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 11.1 | 19:50 | 33.3 | +0.38 |
| 2023-24 | San Jose Sharks | 80 | 16 | 29 | 45 | -45 | 30 | 8 | 16 | 0 | 5 | 128 | 12.5 | 18:40 | 31.3 | +0.52 |
| 2024-25 | San Jose Sharks | 77 | 17 | 41 | 58 | -7 | 29 | 6 | 16 | 1 | 2 | 151 | 11.3 | 19:33 | 30.6 | +0.73 |
| 2025-26 | San Jose Sharks | 78 | 15 | 38 | 53 | -31 | 32 | 3 | 16 | 0 | 1 | 176 | 8.5 | 18:32 | 35.5 | +0.68 |
| 2026-27 | Ottawa Senators | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0.0 | 16:16 | — | — |
| Career | 6 seasons | 253 | 50 | 113 | 163 | -91 | 101 | 17 | 52 | 1 | 8 | 485 | 10.3 | 18:46 | — |
Seasons traded mid-year show one row per team. GS/GP is our Game Score per game.
Latest news
Headlines from news outlets and team blogs
- William Eklund will be the Senators' breakout star for 2026-27
SenShot · Oct 1
- No. 9 Keaton Verhoeff: San Jose’s hope on the backend
fearthefin.com · Sep 30
- Training Camp Begins in Ottawa
senschirp.ca · Sep 17
Sentiment & chatter
Fans
—
Beat writers
—
Media
—
Fan, beat writer, and media scores, the 14-day trade chatter chart, and the latest mentions appear once sentiment scoring is switched on. Mentions are already being collected.
Recent Game Scores
Last 10 games · goals above average
Average +0.97 per game over these 10.
Skating · NHL EDGE
2025-26, as of Oct 2
- Top speed
- 22.3 mph
- 53rd pct
- 20+ mph bursts
- 111
- Hardest shot
- 89.3 mph
- 79th pct
- Distance
- 229.5 mi
- OZ time
- 45.9%
- 93rd pct
- DZ time
- 36.7%
Age curve
NHL forwards · production index
At 23, forwards typically produce 99% of their peak (age 24). His contract runs through age 25, when the typical level is 100%.
From 24 seasons of NHL results, adjusted for league scoring and save percentage in each era. Shaded bars are the seasons left on his contract.
Contract by season
3 seasons left
| Season | Team | Cap hit | % of cap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-27 | OTT | $5.6M | 5.4% |
| 2027-28 | OTT | $5.6M | 4.9% |
| 2028-29 | OTT | $5.6M | — |
RFA after 2028-29. $16.8M in cap hits left. % of cap uses each season's ceiling where the league has set one ($104M this season, $113.5M in 2027-28).