Sharks winger William Eklund is in stable condition after being taken to the hospital after being cut on the wrist in a tune-up game for the upcoming World Championship, Eklund’s agent, Todd Diamond, told Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now. The incident occurred during a board battle with defenseman Filip Hronek. Diamond noted early indications are that no key tendons or nerves were cut on the play. The tournament begins next week, with Sweden as the event’s co-host. However, given the injury, it wouldn’t be surprising if Eklund didn’t participate now.
Elsewhere around the hockey world:
- Avalanche forward Ross Colton took part in today’s morning skate in a non-contact jersey, relays Ewan Rawal of The Denver Gazette (Twitter link). The 28-year-old suffered a lower-body injury in the series opener against Dallas and hasn’t played since; the non-contact restriction today suggests he won’t be available for the series’ final game tonight. Colton got off to a hot start this season before dealing with some injury issues, finishing up with 16 goals and 11 assists in 61 games.
- Speaking at Ottawa’s locker clean-out day, Senators goaltender Linus Ullmark told reporters, including TSN’s Claire Hanna (Twitter link), that while he indicated that he’d have liked to play for Sweden at the upcoming World Championship, the team has decided to go in a different direction. Sweden is a co-host of the event, but they already have their three goalies for the event in Samuel Ersson, Arvid Soderblom, and Arvid Holm.
- On Friday, the ECHL announced it will welcome New Mexico into the league for the 2026-27 season. They will be the 31st franchise, getting closer to being lined up with the 32 in the NHL and AHL. The Stars will serve as hockey operations consultants to help the franchise get up and running, while suggestions for the team’s name are now being taken.
Can we change the name and branding of the ECHL already?