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Sean Walker (ice hockey)

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For other people named Sean Walker, see Sean Walker (disambiguation).

Sean Walker
Walker with the Ontario Reign in 2019
Born (1994-11-13) November 13, 1994 (age 29)
Keswick, Ontario, Canada
Height 5 ft 11 in (180 cm)
Weight 196 lb (89 kg; 14 st 0 lb)
Position Defence
Shoots Right
NHL team
Former teams		 Carolina Hurricanes
Los Angeles Kings
Philadelphia Flyers
Colorado Avalanche
National team  Canada
NHL draft Undrafted
Playing career 2017–present

Sean Iain Walker[1] (born November 13, 1994) is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman for the Carolina Hurricanes of the National Hockey League (NHL).

Undrafted, he previously played college ice hockey for Bowling Green State University where he was twice named to the All-WCHA Second Team.

Playing career

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Walker began his minor hockey career playing for the Georgina Blaze AA hockey in Keswick Ontario. He then moved up to play with York Simcoe Express AAA in the Eastern AAA Hockey League. Following the York Simcoe Express, Walker played Junior ice hockey with Georgina Ice for the 2011–12 season. While playing in his first season with Georgina Ice, Walker was called up by the Newmarket Hurricanes, Georgina Ice's Junior "A" ice hockey affiliate, for five games.[2] He then spent one season with the Newmarket Hurricanes, tallying 24 points in 53 games. It was during his first full year with the Hurricanes that Walker committed to playing college ice hockey at Bowling Green State University.[3]

Collegiate

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In his freshman year at Bowling Green University, he played in 38 games. His 13 points that season ranked second among Falcon rookies as he helped guide them to the 2014 WCHA Men's Ice Hockey Tournament.[1] However, the Bowling Green Falcons lost in the Semi-Finals to Minnesota State. In his sophomore year, Walker played in all 39 games of the season and had a +10 on-ice rating. At the end of the season, Walker was awarded the team's Jim Ruehl Best Defensive Player award.[4]

In October 2015, Walker was named the captain of the Bowling Green Falcons.[5] At the conclusion of his junior year, and first as a captain, Walker was named to the All-WCHA Second Team.[6] He was again named captain for his senior year and named to the All-WCHA Second Team for the second time.[7] Following his senior year at Bowling Green University, Walker signed with the Ontario Reign of the American Hockey League (AHL) to begin his professional career.[8]

Professional

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Los Angeles Kings

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Walker made the Reign's 2017–18 opening night roster out of training camp.[9] He scored his first professional point in a 7–4 loss to the Cleveland Monsters on October 27, 2017.[10] Walker ended the season having played in 64 regular season games for the Reign and collecting 28 points.

Walker signed a two-year, entry-level contract with the Los Angeles Kings on July 3, 2018, after playing one season in the AHL.[11] Walker began the 2018–19 season with the Reign after being cut from training camp.[12] After playing in seven games for the Reign, and collecting six points, Walker was recalled from the Reign to the NHL on October 22.[13] He made his NHL debut on October 23, against the Dallas Stars,[14] and recorded his first NHL point in his debut with an assist on Tyler Toffoli's second period goal.[15] After playing in three games, Walker and teammate Austin Wagner were re-assigned to the AHL.[16] Walker was recalled to the NHL on December 21,[17] and scored his first career NHL goal on December 31, against the Colorado Avalanche. He scored in the first period to help the Kings take the lead but the goal was called back due to goaltender interference. Walker scored again later that game in the second period, and the goal was upheld. The Kings won the game 3–2 in overtime.[18] On January 3, 2019, while playing with the Kings, Walker was selected to the Pacific Division All-Stars for the 2019 American Hockey League All-Star Classic.[19]

Walker participated in the Kings training camp and made their 2019–20 opening night roster.[20] He skated in 70 games for the club, scoring 24 points as the Kings failed to make the 2020 Stanley Cup playoffs. On September 11, 2020, the Kings signed Walker to a four-year, $10.6 million contract extension.[21]

Walker (right) and Eeli Tolvanen of the Seattle Kraken in 2023.

Philadelphia Flyers

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On June 6, 2023, approaching his final season under contract, the Kings traded Walker to the Philadelphia Flyers as part of a three-team trade also involving the Columbus Blue Jackets.[22] In the 2023–24 season, Walker made an immediate impact on the Flyers blueline and was second among team defensemen in scoring through 63 regular season games, having already surpassed his career high with 6 goals, while his 22 points were the highest he has posted since the 2020 with Los Angeles.

Colorado Avalanche

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Approaching the NHL trade deadline, on March 6, 2024, the Flyers traded Walker to the Colorado Avalanche along with a 2026 fifth-round pick in exchange for forward Ryan Johansen and a first-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft.[23] Walker continued to contribute offensively with the Avalanche notching 7 points in 18 regular season games and establishing new season highs with a combined 10 goals and 29 points in 81 regular season games. In the playoffs, Walker was utilised in a bottom pairing role with Colorado, going scoreless through 11 appearances.

Carolina Hurricanes

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As a free agent at the conclusion of his contract with the Avalanche, Walker was signed to a five-year, $18 million contract with the Carolina Hurricanes on July 1, 2024.[24]

Personal life

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Walker graduated from Our Lady of the Lake Catholic College School in 2012.[5][1]

Career statistics

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Regular season and playoffs

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Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2010–11 York Simcoe Express 18U AAA ETAHL — — — — — — — — — —
2011–12 Georgina Ice COJHL 36 4 11 15 32 9 1 2 3 6
2011–12 Newmarket Hurricanes OJHL 5 0 3 3 2 — — — — —
2012–13 Newmarket Hurricanes OJHL 53 4 20 24 61 24 0 4 4 42
2013–14 Bowling Green State University WCHA 38 2 11 13 75 — — — — —
2014–15 Bowling Green State University WCHA 39 5 15 20 85 — — — — —
2015–16 Bowling Green State University WCHA 42 5 18 23 48 — — — — —
2016–17 Bowling Green State University WCHA 41 10 14 24 42 — — — — —
2017–18 Ontario Reign AHL 64 7 21 28 59 4 1 1 2 0
2018–19 Ontario Reign AHL 22 6 11 17 18 — — — — —
2018–19 Los Angeles Kings NHL 39 3 7 10 8 — — — — —
2019–20 Los Angeles Kings NHL 70 5 19 24 26 — — — — —
2020–21 Los Angeles Kings NHL 47 5 13 18 18 — — — — —
2021–22 Los Angeles Kings NHL 6 0 2 2 4 — — — — —
2022–23 Los Angeles Kings NHL 70 3 10 13 36 2 0 0 0 0
2023–24 Philadelphia Flyers NHL 63 6 16 22 34 — — — — —
2023–24 Colorado Avalanche NHL 18 4 3 7 16 11 0 0 0 6
NHL totals 313 26 70 96 142 13 0 0 0 6
Medal record
Representing  Canada
Ice hockey
World Championships
Gold medal – first place 2021 Latvia

International

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Year Team Event Result GP G A Pts PIM
2021 Canada WC 1st place, gold medalist(s) 10 0 2 2 12
Senior totals 10 0 2 2 12

Awards and honours

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Award Year Ref
College
All-WCHA Second Team 2016, 2017 [7]
NCAA (WCHA) All-Academic Team 2016, 2017 [1]
Jim Ruehl Best Defensive Player award 2015 [4]
AHL
AHL All-Star Game 2019 [19]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d "Sean Walker". bgsufalcons.com. Retrieved October 22, 2018.
  2. ^ "OJHL Grad Assists in NHL Debut". pointstreak.com. October 24, 2018. Retrieved December 10, 2018.
  3. ^ Cudmore, John (April 4, 2013). "Hurricanes' Walker commits to Bowling Green". yorkregion.com. Retrieved October 22, 2018.
  4. ^ a b Knavel, Jason (May 7, 2015). "Sean Walker Named Team's Top Defensive Player". bgsufalcons.com. Retrieved October 22, 2018.
  5. ^ a b Cudmore, John (October 5, 2015). "Keswick resident, former Newmarket Hurricanes defender to captain Bowling Green". yorkregion.com. Retrieved October 22, 2018.
  6. ^ Gordon, Kevin (March 10, 2016). "Friedman, Nell named to All-WCHA first-team; Walker, Cooper also honored". bgsuhockey.com. Retrieved October 22, 2018.
  7. ^ a b Gordon, Kevin (March 9, 2017). "McLain named first-team All-WCHA". bgsuhockey.com. Retrieved October 22, 2018.
  8. ^ "REIGN AGREE TO TERMS WITH BGSU CAPTAIN SEAN WALKER". ontarioreign.com. June 16, 2017. Retrieved October 22, 2018.
  9. ^ "REIGN ANNOUNCE 2017 OPENING NIGHT ROSTER". ontarioreign.com. October 6, 2017. Retrieved December 26, 2018.
  10. ^ "REIGN AND MOSTERS COMBINE FOR 11 GOALS IN CLEVELAND". ontarioreign.com. October 27, 2017. Retrieved December 26, 2018.
  11. ^ Goffenberg, Daniel (July 3, 2018). "Kings sign Sean Walker to entry-level deal". sportsnet.ca. Retrieved October 22, 2018.
  12. ^ "ONTARIO REIGN TRAINING CAMP ROSTER MOVES". ontarioreign.com. September 22, 2018. Retrieved December 26, 2018.
  13. ^ "SEAN WALKER RECALLED BY LOS ANGELES". ontarioreign.com. October 22, 2018. Retrieved October 22, 2018.
  14. ^ Miller, Jeff (October 23, 2018). "Kings at Stars preview". NHL.com. Retrieved October 23, 2018.
  15. ^ @LAKings (October 23, 2018). "Tyler Toffoli trims the lead to 3-2. And the first career NHL assist for Sean Walker was an absolutely beautiful set up! 🙌" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  16. ^ "Rookies Austin Wagner and Sean Walker Assigned to Ontario Reign". NHL.com. October 31, 2018. Retrieved October 31, 2018.
  17. ^ "Wagner, Amadio and Walker Recalled from the Ontario Reign". NHL.com. December 21, 2018. Retrieved January 1, 2019.
  18. ^ Sadowski, Rick. "Brown, Kings recover to top Avalanche in OT". NHL.com. Retrieved January 1, 2019.
  19. ^ a b "AHL All-Star rosters filled with NHL first-round picks, call-ups". NHL.com. January 3, 2019. Retrieved January 3, 2019.
  20. ^ "NHL opening night rosters for 2019-20 season". nhl.com. October 2, 2019. Retrieved October 8, 2019.
  21. ^ "Kings sign Sean Walker to four-year extension worth $10.6 million". ESPN.com. ESPN. September 11, 2020. Retrieved September 11, 2020.
  22. ^ "Flyers participate in three-team trade with Columbus and Los Angeles". National Hockey League. Philadelphia Flyers. June 6, 2023. Retrieved June 6, 2023.
  23. ^ "Avalanche Acquire D Sean Walker in exchange for F Ryan Johansen". Colorado Avalanche. Colorado Avalanche. March 6, 2024. Retrieved March 6, 2024.
  24. ^ "Canes sign Walker to a five-year contract". Carolina Hurricanes. July 1, 2024. Retrieved July 1, 2024.
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