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San Jose Traded William Eklund and Handed the Job to an 18-Year-Old
The Sharks made room. Whether Ivar Stenberg was ready for it is the question that shapes their season.
San Jose traded William Eklund to Ottawa in exchange for the ninth overall pick, and the second-line role Eklund occupied now belongs to a teenager who some evaluators still believe was the best prospect available in the 2026 draft.
Ivar Stenberg, F — 18 years old
The case for him. Stenberg ranks third in preseason Calder Trophy projections, behind only Philadelphia’s Porter Martone and Toronto’s Gavin McKenna. A meaningful number of people in hockey thought he should have gone before McKenna at the top of the draft.
The game is described as dynamic and well-rounded — a combination that usually means a player doesn’t need a specific system or a specific linemate to be effective. That travels better than raw skill does.
The case against. The Eklund role is a double edge. Taking over an established second-line spot means guaranteed minutes, which is the single hardest thing for a rookie to get. It also means his ceiling is set by that deployment rather than by his ability.
Second-line minutes are a very good place to start an NHL career. They are not where Calder Trophies are usually won.
Projection. Second-line winger from opening night, with power-play time and a real chance to force his way higher if the production demands it.
What the trade actually signals
Moving Eklund for a draft pick is the move of a team that has decided its timeline runs through players who aren’t fully formed yet.
San Jose already has Macklin Celebrini, who finished fourth in league scoring as a sophomore — the kind of leap that turns a rebuild into a plan. Collin Graf has established himself as a core piece. Adding an 18-year-old with top-of-the-draft talent to that group is consistent rather than reckless.
The Sharks aren’t trying to win this season. They’re trying to find out what they’ll have when they do.
Three others worth following
Porter Martone, F — Philadelphia Flyers. The preseason favorite, and the counterexample to Stenberg’s situation. Martone produced 25 goals and 25 assists in 35 games at Michigan State, then scored 15 points in 19 NHL games including the playoffs, averaging just under 17 minutes and 2.89 shots per game. He’s 19, 6-foot-3 and 210 pounds, and he already knows what NHL hockey feels like.
Gavin McKenna, F — Toronto Maple Leafs. The first overall pick and the rookie Stenberg was measured against all draft season. McKenna landed in the better situation — potential second-line minutes with John Tavares and William Nylander — and ranks second. Watching these two develop in parallel is the class’s defining subplot.
Anton Frondell and Roman Kantserov, F — Chicago Blackhawks. Ranked fourth and fifth, the only teammates in the top five. Frondell averaged 17:42 across 12 NHL games last season; Kantserov became the youngest player in KHL history to reach 60 points. Connor Bedard’s shoulder surgery keeps him out until November, giving both an early runway.
The number to watch
Stenberg’s ice time in November. If San Jose is comfortable enough to move him up the lineup after a month, the draft-year evaluators who ranked him first will have a case.
If he plays out the season in Eklund’s old role and produces respectable second-line numbers, that’s still a good rookie year — and it tells you the Sharks’ rebuild is on schedule rather than ahead of it.
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