Sharks' William Eklund Suffers Scary Skate Incident Ahead of World Championships

This year's IIHF World Championship, set to take place in Sweden and Denmark from May 9 to 25, will be an interesting edition to follow. With the 2026 Olympic Games approaching, NHL players who are invited and healthy enough are likely to participate-both as a show of good faith and to demonstrate their determination to earn a spot on the Olympic roster.

Many players who didn't make the playoffs or have recently been eliminated will play in the tournament. Full rosters haven't been released yet, but Team Canada announced an early wave of players, which includes Adam Fantilli, Ryan O'Reilly, Macklin Celebrini, Noah Dobson, and many more.

Check out the full list here:

Today, in a friendly game between Czechia and Sweden, William Eklund, the 22-year-old San Jose Sharks forward, had to quickly leave the ice after being injured by a skate during a battle for the puck against Vancouver Canucks defenseman Filip Hronek.

Here's how it went down:

No update has been released on his condition yet.

Eklund was set to play an important role for Team Sweden at the tournament, but such injuries often force players to miss significant time, and NHL teams usually prefer to keep their players away from the ice if they aren't at 100%.

This season, Eklund scored 17 goals and 41 assists in 77 games with the Sharks. He has another year left on his entry-level contract with San Jose.

With the team's young core growing, Eklund and the Sharks could be only a few years away from having a breakout season. The team also has the best odds of winning the lottery, meaning another young, talented player will join the organization before the start of next season.

Stay tuned for details regarding Eklund's injury.