Jake Walman

Jake Walman
Walman with the Detroit Red Wings in 2023
Born (1996-02-20) February 20, 1996 (age 28)
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Height 6 ft 1 in (185 cm)
Weight 218 lb (99 kg; 15 st 8 lb)
Position Defence
Shoots Left
NHL team
Former teams
San Jose Sharks
St. Louis Blues
Detroit Red Wings
NHL draft 82nd overall, 2014
St. Louis Blues
Playing career 2017–present

Jake Walman (born February 20, 1996) is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman for the San Jose Sharks of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was drafted 82nd overall by the St. Louis Blues in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft.

Early life

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Walman was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and is Jewish.[1] He holds American citizenship, through his mother Mary-Anne, a native of Providence, Rhode Island.[2]

Playing career

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Walman played junior hockey with the Toronto Jr. Canadiens in the Ontario Junior Hockey League (OJHL) before committing to collegiate hockey with Providence College of the Hockey East. Prior to his freshman season with the Friars, Walman was selected at the 2014 NHL Entry Draft in the third round, 82nd overall, by the St. Louis Blues.

On March 28, 2017, having completed his junior season with the Friars in 2016–17, Walman concluded his collegiate career early, signing a three-year, entry-level contract with the St. Louis Blues.[3]

Walman made his NHL debut for the Blues during the 2019–20 season. In three seasons with the Blues he recorded four goals and four assists in 57 games. On March 21, 2022, Walman was traded to the Detroit Red Wings, along with Oskar Sundqvist, and a second-round pick in 2023 NHL Entry Draft, in exchange for Nick Leddy and Luke Witkowski[4]

On August 11, 2022, Walman as a restricted free agent was re-signed by the Red Wings to a one-year, $1.05 million contract extension for the 2022–23 season.[5] After opening the season on the injured-reserve, Walman returned and was given an increased role on the team, playing alongside Moritz Seider. Walman scored the overtime-winning goal for the Red Wings on December 28 against the Pittsburgh Penguins, during which Detroit initially trailed by a 4–0 score. He subsequently went viral for celebrating with the Griddy dance.[6] On February 28, 2023, Walman was re-signed to a three-year, $10.2 million contract extension with the Red Wings.[7]

On June 25, 2024, he was traded to the San Jose Sharks, along with a second-round pick in the 2024 NHL entry draft, in exchange for future considerations.[8]

International play

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Walman, a dual citizen who exclusively trained in the Canadian hockey system attended the training camp for the United States men's national junior ice hockey team in preparation for the 2016 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships.

Despite being considered a lock to make the team, Walman wasn't eligible to play for the Americans, despite living in Providence, Rhode Island, for 16 months due to not meeting the IIHF’s requirement of playing two consecutive seasons in the country in order to play for the national team, as he was in the midst of his second season playing in the United States.

USA Hockey attempted to appeal the ruling, which was denied by the IIHF. Following the ruling, Walman was invited to the Canadian men’s national junior ice hockey team’s selection camp, but did not make the final roster.[9][10]

Walman accepted an invitation to join the Canadian national team at the 2023 IIHF World Championship. He was however forced to withdraw his name from the roster due to an upper-body injury, prior to the start of the tournament.[11][12]

Career statistics

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Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2013–14 Toronto Jr. Canadiens OJHL 43 7 26 33 87
2014–15 Providence College HE 41 1 15 16 44
2015–16 Providence College HE 27 13 15 28 20
2016–17 Providence College HE 39 7 18 25 42
2016–17 Chicago Wolves AHL 7 2 1 3 2 8 2 1 3 2
2017–18 Chicago Wolves AHL 40 2 11 13 14
2017–18 Binghamton Devils AHL 19 2 5 7 10
2018–19 San Antonio Rampage AHL 66 3 10 13 48
2019–20 San Antonio Rampage AHL 57 8 19 27 32
2019–20 St. Louis Blues NHL 1 0 0 0 0
2020–21 St. Louis Blues NHL 24 1 1 2 8 1 0 0 0 0
2021–22 St. Louis Blues NHL 32 3 3 6 6
2021–22 Detroit Red Wings NHL 19 0 4 4 4
2022–23 Detroit Red Wings NHL 63 9 9 18 45
2023–24 Detroit Red Wings NHL 63 12 9 21 44
NHL totals 202 25 26 51 107 1 0 0 0 0

Awards and honours

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Award Year
OJHL
First Team All-Prospect 2014
Rookie of the Year 2014
Top Prospect Award 2014
OHA B.J. Monro Memorial Trophy 2014
CJHL Rookie of the Year 2014
CJHL Top Prospect Award 2014
College
HE First All-Star Team 2016, 2017
New England D1 All-Stars 2016, 2017
East First All-American Team 2016
East Second All-American Team 2017

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Toronto hockey player coveted by U.S. And Canada". January 20, 2016.
  2. ^ "Toronto hockey player coveted by U.S. And Canada". January 20, 2016.
  3. ^ "Blues sign Jake Walman to entry-level contract". St. Louis Blues. March 28, 2017. Retrieved March 28, 2017.
  4. ^ DiFilippo, Alex (March 21, 2022). "Detroit acquires Sundqvist, Walman and 2023 2nd-round pick from St. Louis". NHL.com. Retrieved March 21, 2022.
  5. ^ "Red Wing re-sign Jake Walman to one-year contract". Detroit Red Wings. August 11, 2022. Retrieved August 11, 2022.
  6. ^ "COME BACK COMPLETE!! THE GRIDDY HAS MADE ITS WAY TO THE NHL". Twitter. December 28, 2022. Retrieved December 29, 2022.
  7. ^ "Red Wings re-sign Walman to three-year contract extension". The Sports Network. February 28, 2023. Retrieved February 28, 2023.
  8. ^ "Sharks acquire defenseman Jake Walman and a second round selection in the 2024 NHL Draft from the Red Wings in exchange for future considerations". NHL.com. San Jose Sharks. June 25, 2024. Retrieved June 25, 2024.
  9. ^ "The curious case of Jake Walman". November 27, 2015.
  10. ^ "Even though he picked U.S., Hockey Canada welcomes Walman with open arms". December 2, 2015.
  11. ^ "Red Wings Walman, Veleno to Skate For Canada at Worlds". May 5, 2023.
  12. ^ "Discouraging update released on Jake Walman". May 15, 2023.
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