Hurricanes Sign William Hakansson To Entry-Level Contract

Although it’s not a first-round pick, another selection of the 2026 NHL Draft has signed his entry-level contract. The Carolina Hurricanes announced they’ve come to terms on a three-year deal with defenseman William Håkansson.

Moments after the Hurricanes’ announcement, PuckPedia revealed the year-by-year breakdown of Håkansson’s new deal:

Carolina selected Håkansson with the 51st overall pick of the 2026 NHL Draft.  Although he was a second-round pick, he was the Hurricanes’ highest-drafted prospect of the 2026 NHL Draft after they traded their first-round pick to the Nashville Predators for a combination of second-round picks. The pick Carolina ultimately used to select Håkansson was originally owned by the Utah Mammoth.

Håkansson, 18, spent much of last season with the SHL’s Luleå HF. It was a decent showing for his age, registering two assists in 22 games with a +1 rating. He also featured in nine postseason games for Luleå, although he went scoreless.

Additionally, Håkansson spent a decent portion of the 2025-26 season on loan with the HockeyAllsvenskan’s Almtuna IS. He was understandably more productive in the lower league, but not by much. The Solna, Sweden native finished with two goals and four points in 16 games, with an additional two assists in two postseason contests.

On the international stage, Håkansson got some hardware last year. Playing for Team Sweden in the U20 IIHF World Junior Championship, the left-shot blueliner tallied two assists in seven games, helping Sweden to the Gold Medal finish over Czechia.