Sammy Walker (ice hockey)
Samuel “Sammy” Walker (born June 7, 1999) is an American professional ice hockey forward for the Iowa Wild of the American Hockey League (AHL) while under contract to the Minnesota Wild of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was drafted in the seventh round of the 2017 NHL Entry Draft by the Tampa Bay Lightning with the 200th overall selection.
| Sammy Walker | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Walker with Team USA in 2023 | |||
| Born | June 7, 1999 Edina, Minnesota, U.S. | ||
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (178 cm) | ||
| Weight | 180 lb (82 kg; 12 st 12 lb) | ||
| Position | Forward | ||
| Shoots | Right | ||
| NHL team (P) Cur. team | Minnesota Wild Iowa Wild (AHL) | ||
| National team | United States | ||
| NHL Draft | 200th overall, 2017 Tampa Bay Lightning | ||
| Playing career | 2022–present | ||
Playing career edit
Amateur edit
Walker played for Edina High School for four seasons, finishing with 167 points. Walker was the team captain his senior year. After the 2017–18 season, he won the Minnesota Mr. Hockey Award.[1]
He began his collegiate hockey career for the University of Minnesota during the 2018–19 season. In his full collegiate tenure with the Golden Gophers he became the first three-year captain in school history.
Professional edit
After his collegiate career, Walker opted to become a free agent after declining to sign with draft club, the Tampa Bay Lightning. On August 18, 2022, he opted to sign with home state team, the Minnesota Wild, in agreeing to a two-year, entry-level contract.[2] After attending his first Wild training camp and pre-season, Walker was re-assigned to begin his professional career in the AHL with affiliate the Iowa Wild to open the 2022–23 season.[3]
Walker was recalled from Iowa on December 9, 2022.[4] He scored his first NHL goal on December 27, 2022 in a game versus the Winnipeg Jets on an empty net goal.[5]
Career statistics edit
Regular season and playoffs edit
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2014–15 | Edina High | MNHS | 25 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 | ||
| 2015–16 | Edina High | MNHS | 25 | 19 | 18 | 37 | 14 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 2016–17 | Edina High | MNHS | 25 | 22 | 24 | 46 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 0 | ||
| 2016–17 | Lincoln Stars | USHL | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2017–18 | Edina High | MNHS | 25 | 28 | 30 | 58 | 12 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 4 | ||
| 2017–18 | Sioux City Musketeers | USHL | 17 | 2 | 7 | 9 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2018–19 | University of Minnesota | B1G | 37 | 10 | 16 | 26 | 16 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2019–20 | University of Minnesota | B1G | 37 | 11 | 19 | 30 | 33 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2020–21 | University of Minnesota | B1G | 31 | 13 | 16 | 29 | 12 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2021–22 | University of Minnesota | B1G | 38 | 14 | 13 | 27 | 20 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2022–23 | Iowa Wild | AHL | 56 | 27 | 21 | 48 | 23 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 2022–23 | Minnesota Wild | NHL | 9 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| NHL totals | 9 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
International edit
| Year | Team | Event | Result | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | United States | WC | 4th | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Senior totals | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
Awards and honors edit
| Award | Year | Ref |
|---|---|---|
| College | ||
| Big Ten Freshman of the Year | 2019 | [6] |
| Big Ten Freshmen Team | ||
| Frank Pond Rookie of the Year | [7] | |
| Preseason All-Big Ten Second Team | [8] | |
| All-Big Ten Honorable Mention | 2020 | [9] |
| John Mariucci Most Valuable Player | ||
| All-Big Ten Academic Team | ||
| Honorable Mention All-Big Ten Team | 2021 | [10] |
| Big Ten All-Tournament Team | ||
| AHCA All-American Scholar | [11] | |
| Big Ten Distinguished Scholar | [12] | |
| Academic All-Big Ten Team | [13] | |
| Preseason All-Big Ten First Team | 2022 | |
| Honorable Mention All-Big Ten Team | [14] | |
| Big Ten Sportsmanship Award | ||
| Senior CLASS Award First Team | ||
References edit
- ^ Tribune, David La Vaque, Star (2018-03-11). "Edina's Sammy Walker named Mr. Hockey". MN Boys' Hockey Hub | High School Boys' Hockey News, Scores & Standings. Retrieved 2022-04-08.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ "Wild signs forward Sammy Walker to two-year, entry-level contract". Minnesota Wild. August 18, 2022. Retrieved August 18, 2022.
- ^ "Minnesota Wild reduces roster to 34". Minnesota Wild. October 4, 2022. Retrieved October 4, 2022.
- ^ Williams, Thomas P. (2022-12-10). "Wild recall AHL rookie sensation Sammy Walker". Hockey Wilderness. Retrieved 2022-12-28.
- ^ "Wild vs. Jets - NHL Game Recap - December 27, 2022". ESPN. Retrieved 2022-12-28.
- ^ "Walker Headlines Postseason Honors as B1G Freshman of the Year". University of Minnesota Athletics. Retrieved 2022-04-09.
- ^ "Gophers Honor Team Award Winners". University of Minnesota Athletics. Retrieved 2022-04-09.
- ^ "Walker Picks Up Preseason All-Big Ten Honor". University of Minnesota Athletics. Retrieved 2022-04-09.
- ^ "Gophers Hand Out Team Awards". University of Minnesota Athletics. Retrieved 2022-04-09.
- ^ "Hockey Postseason Honors Announced". bigten.org. Retrieved 2022-04-09.
- ^ "Fifth Annual AHCA 'All-American Scholars' Announced for Men's DI Hockey". American Hockey Coaches Association. Retrieved 2022-04-09.
- ^ "Big Ten Announces 2020-21 Distinguished Scholar Award Recipients". bigten.org. Retrieved 2022-04-09.
- ^ "Big Ten Hockey Preseason Honors". bigten.org. Retrieved 2022-04-09.
- ^ "Hockey Postseason Honors Announced". bigten.org. Retrieved 2022-04-09.
External links edit
- Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or The Internet Hockey Database