Photo courtesy of TheAHL.com

Fantasy Summary

Offensive defenseman who can run a power play


Observations

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March 2022 – Walman has been traded to the Detroit Red Wings in the “overpaying for Nick Leddy” deal. Walman will have a much better shot to stick in the Red Wings top six dmen. Pat Quinn

 

April 2018 – This was a tough season for Walman, his first as a professional. Coming off a strong third season with Providence in 2016-17, the defenseman racked up 25 points in 39 games. Consistent ice time was occasionally hard to come by for Walman during the season. After dressing for the Chicago Wolves for 40 games the Blues sent the 22-year old to the struggling Binghamton Devils. In total the defenseman put up 20 points in 59 games, a letdown for some who saw Walman as a sleeper to make the Blues earlier in the year. This season may have been a tough one but Walman has all the tools to be a successful offensive defenseman. He is a great skater that can be dominant with the puck. A must watch prospect this coming fall. Josh Epstein

 

March 2017 – The Blues have brought Walman into the fold, inking him to a three-year entry-level deal ending his NCAA career with Providence College which saw him win a National Championship and being named Hockey East first-team all-star on multiple occasions. In three years with the Friars, Walman amassed 21 goals and 48 assists in 107 games. His best year was his sophomore campaign that saw him score at over a point per game with 28 points in 27 games before an injury sidelined him for the rest of the season. Walman is a fantastic skater and has shown to be an elite level shot producer from the back end in the NCAA. Adding Walman only adds to St. Louis’ already impressive stable of offensive defensemen. He’ll report to Chicago of the AHL and will probably need to stick it out there for a year or two before seeing any big league action. Brad Phillips

 

February 2017 – In Walman’s third NCAA season he’s seen his offensive numbers come back down to earth a bit in relation his fantastic sophomore campaign (in which he produced at better than a point per game clip). Through 32 games this year Walman has scored five times and dished out 14 assists. His assist numbers are similar to last year, it’s the goal total that has seen a drop. He’s still getting pucks on net at a level similar to 2015-16 rate, currently sitting third in the nation in shots from the back end with 116, a rate of 3.62 shots/game. But his shooting percentage is way down from 11.8% last season to 4.3%, the former of which would have been tough to sustain. Despite all of this, Walman is still tied for most points by a defenseman on the 10th ranked Providence Friars and by all accounts his overall play has been excellent this year. Blues brass have been keeping a close eye on Walman and my bet is that they make a strong push to sign him once the Friars season is over. Brad Phillips

May 2016 – Walman was one of the leading scorers (among defensemen) in NCAA until his season was shortened due to injury. It looked like he was in for a monster season until that injury, but he will look to pick up where he left off next season with the Providence Friars. His skating and offensive ability would make him a nice option once he reaches the NHL. Matt Kowalski

 

January 2016 – Walman has been absolutely tearing it up for the NCAA’s Providence Friars. He has already passed his point total from last year in just 14 games. At this point it doesn’t appear to be just a hot streak, but rather a consistent trend. He has been one of the top point-producing defensemen in college hockey. As far as World Juniors, Walman interestingly holds dual-citizenship, and had planned to play for USA, but the IIHF required he play for Canada. It didn’t matter, as Walman suffered a shoulder injury and couldn’t continue with Canada. The Friar sophomore looks to be turning into the player the Blues hoped he would be. He has an NHL-ready shot and great offensive upside, but should remain with Providence for at least the remainder of the season. The Blues have several elite prospect defensemen, so they are in no rush with Walman. Matt Kowalski

 

November 2015 – Jake Walman has rocketed out of the gates with seven goals and five assists in 12 games. While he certainly hasn’t scored at a point-per-game at any level, and being tied for overall NCAA lead win goals isn’t sustainable, he was drafted as an offensive defenseman. As a raw draft prospect, it was thought that he was a ways away from tapping his upside. Turns out he is ahead of schedule, even accounting for regression. Austin Wallace

 

June 2014 – The St. Louis Blues selected defenseman Jake Walman 87th overall at the 2014 NHL Draft. Brendan Ross

 

May 2014 – Converting from forward to defence in your draft year can be a stressful transition but late bloomer, Jake Walman made the most of it and scouts took notice. He added nearly half a foot in height and really evolved as one of the most intriguing offensive defensemen of the 2014 draft class. Walman had his coming out party at the World Junior A Challenge in the Fall of 2013 and rode that momentum for a breakout OJHL season scoring 33 points in 43 games. Walman has an explosive first few strides and his elusiveness and confidence with the puck make him a constant threat. Look for Jake Walman to be a 2ndor 3rd round selection at the 2014 NHL Entry Draft and he is a player with a very promising upside. Brendan Ross

Attributes
Fantasy Upside 5.5
NHL Certainty 5.5
Country CAN
Position D
Roster Type Minors
Shoot/Glove Left
Date of Birth February 20, 1996
Height 6‘1”
Weight 170 lbs
Drafted 2014 Round 3; Overall: 87

Stats

 Season Team League GP G A TP PIM      Playoffs GP G A TP PIM 
 2011-2012 North York Rangers U16 AAAGTHL U1633 10 1222 18|        
  North York Rangers U16 AAAOHL Cup4 0 11 0|        
 2012-2013 Toronto Jr. Canadiens U18 AAAGTHL U1830 6 1218 8|Playoffs7 1 12 16 
 2013-2014 Toronto Jr. CanadiensOJHL43 7 2633 87|        
  Canada East U19WJAC-194 0 22 4|        
 2014-2015 Providence CollegeNCAA41 1 1516 44|        
 2015-2016 Providence CollegeNCAA27 13 1528 20|        
 2016-2017 Providence CollegeNCAA39 7 1825 42|        
  Chicago WolvesAHL7 2 13 2|Playoffs8 2 13
 2017-2018 Chicago WolvesAHL40 2 1113 14|        
  Binghamton DevilsAHL19 2 57 10|        
 2018-2019 San Antonio RampageAHL66 3 1013 48|        
 2019-2020 St. Louis BluesNHL1 0 00 0|        
  San Antonio RampageAHL57 8 1927 32|        
 2020-2021 St. Louis BluesNHL24 1 12 8|Playoffs1 0 00
 2021-2022 St. Louis BluesNHL32 3 36 6|        
  Detroit Red WingsNHL19 0 44 4|        
 2022-2023 Detroit Red WingsNHL63 9 918 45|        
 2023-2024 Detroit Red WingsNHL20 4 610 18|        

Highlights