SAN JOSE – San Jose Sharks forward William Eklund was left off Sweden’s roster for last month’s 4 Nations Face-Off, with that country’s officials choosing, for the most part, to ice a more experienced lineup.
Eklund, 22, is hoping that’s the last time in a long time that he’s denied the opportunity to wear the bright yellow Tre Kronor jersey.
While Eklund is aiming to finish this NHL season strong, continuing with the Sharks’ home game against the Boston Bruins on Saturday, there is no question he also wants to suit up for Sweden at the IIHF World Championships, which begin in May and take place this year in his hometown of Stockholm.
Eklund said he “would love to play” in the tournament and that he’s been discussing joining the team with Swedish officials, but nothing is official. Eklund last played for Sweden at the 2022 World Junior championships, which were canceled because of an outbreak of positive COVID-19 cases.
“It’s been a while, so it would be cool to go,” Eklund said of the tournament.
Eklund has never played in the World Championships but is building a resume worthy of consideration.
Eklund earned his 15th goal and 50th point of the season and had 20:21 in ice time in the Sharks’ 3-1 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday. The second-year forward has been used in all situations by the Sharks this season and, before Friday’s games, was sixth among all Swedish-born forwards in scoring.
Sweden went 1-0-2 in the 4 Nations, falling just short of advancing to the final. If the team changes the roster for next year’s Winter Olympics in Italy, Eklund would love to be in the mix, and a good showing at the World Championships would likely help his cause.
Sharks rookie Macklin Celebrini indicated last month that he’d like to play for Canada at the World Championships.
WENNBERG MISSING: Alexander Wennberg has a lower-body injury and did not practice Friday, but Sharks coach Ryan Warsofsky was optimistic that the veteran centerman would be able to play against the Bruins.
According to Warsofsky, the ailment has bothered Wennberg for some time and aggravated it early Thursday night against the Hurricanes. His status for Saturday will be known closer to game time.
Wennberg has 31 points in 64 games for the Sharks this season and has been in a top-six center role since late last month when Mikael Granlund was traded to the Dallas Stars.
VLASIC UPDATE: Warsofsky did not have an update on defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic, who is again dealing with an upper-body injury that kept him out for the first half of the season.
Warsofsky said Vlasic would get more imaging on the affected area and that it was too soon to tell whether the injury would be season-ending. After Saturday, the Sharks have just 12 games remaining, with their final game on April 16.
Vlasic has played in just 17 games this season, including the 1,300th of his NHL career on Jan. 16 against the Columbus Blue Jackets, and averaged 15:28 in ice time.
THRUN UPDATE: Warsofsky said defenseman Henry Thrun (upper body) is projected to return to practice on Monday. Thrun’s last game came on March 8 at home against the New York Islanders.
CARLSSON RECALLED: Defenseman Lucas Carlsson, recalled from the Barracuda on Friday, is expected to make his Sharks debut Saturday night against the Bruins. Carlsson signed a two-year, $1.6 million contract with the Sharks last July, less than five months after he tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee.
Carlsson started the season with the Barracuda, and while his first game was in November, he didn’t start to feel like himself again until January. He has 23 points in 44 games with the Barracuda this season.
Carlsson, who has 11 points in a combined 60 NHL games from 2020 to 2022, was paired with Timothy Liljegren in Friday’s practice.
LUND SIGNED: The Sharks signed forward Cameron Lund, a second-round draft pick in 2022, to an entry-level contract. Lund, who turns 21 in June, starred at Northeastern for three seasons and had 40 points in 37 games as a junior this past year. His 18 goals led Northeastern as he became a third-team all-Hockey East selection.
In three seasons at Northeastern, Lund, listed at 6-foot-2 and 195 pounds, had 36 goals and 93 points in 107 games.
According to a team spokesman, Lund will report to the Sharks, but it is unclear when he will arrive. The Sharks are at home next week, playing the Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday and the New York Rangers on Saturday.
The Sharks have now signed three members of their 2022 draft class to entry-level deals, joining center and first-round pick Filip Bystedt and defenseman and fifth-rounder Jake Furlong. Both Bystedt and Furlong are on the San Jose Barracuda roster.