“One of the things that makes William so special is how mentally strong he is,” Wilson Jr. said. “He was cut from teams as a kid. He wasn’t one of those players that everybody knew about since he was 15, 16, 17 years old. When he was younger, he was actually cut from national teams, and he was cut from teams that he tried out for. And I think that that’s why his (details are) so strong, because he’s done everything his whole life to overcome not being the highest-skilled player at that time.

“From a skill perspective, I think he’s a late bloomer. When you watch him play, his details are so good because he’s had to work on those to make teams his whole life. I don’t think it’s a broken spirit. I see the complete opposite. He forced our hand to make our NHL team with how good he was in training camp. He’s six to 12 months ahead of where we expected. Knowing William, he’s going to go back to Djurgarden and he’s going to dominate.”

“It’s an exciting time right now,” Wilson Jr. said. “You got to see what William Eklund is capable of in flashes, and we’re just doing the best we can to develop him into a potential difference-maker.”