Jake Walman, the 82nd overall pick by the St. Louis Blues in the 2014 NHL Draft, is currently in his sixth full season. Fast forward a decade after being drafted, and he has now played 257 games in the National Hockey League, but there is one thing mostly missing from his resume: he has only played in one game in the postseason, which came in 2021 with the Blues. 

Walman has been on teams that have flirted with the playoffs, like last year’s Detroit Red Wings, but after being dealt from the San Jose Sharks to the Edmonton Oilers on NHL’s Trade Deadline day, joining a team that was one win away from Lord Stanley last year, Walman has found himself in a brand new environment compared to his previous stops. 

“I think it’s a little bit different. What I noticed right away is the expectation that these guys have,” Walman told Daily Faceoff. “They hold each other to a high standard, and it starts from the top with Connor [McDavid] and Leon [Draisaitl]. They’re very vocal, and it’s good to see. It’s pretty easy to tag along to their leadership.” 

McDavid and Draisaitl can come off as a bit intimidating from the outside, but as far as welcoming Walman into the team, those two were nothing but warm.

“They’re great guys, they both texted me right away — same with ‘Nursey’ [Darnell Nurse]. They’re just a bunch of natural-born leaders. They’ve done it growing up, and I was actually able to see Connor growing up doing it [in the GTHL]. He holds on to that winning mindset and carries himself that way too — he’s a true professional.” 

Everyone talks about how incredible it is to play with McDavid, not just because it means the best player in the world is on your team but also because it gives you the chance to watch him practise every day. 

“I played with Macklin [Celebrini], and obviously, I could see there’s a really huge bright future for him, but then coming over here and seeing Connor — it’s kind of like watching a movie every time you’re out there,” Walman said. 

Walman spent 50 games with the Sharks this season, on the worst team in the NHL, so there are certainly tons of differences he can point out on the ice right away.

“The biggest thing I’ve noticed is that we don’t spend that much time in our defensive zone compared to where I was and that’s because we have such good guys up front,” he said. “They kind of control the shifts in zone, so you give it to them and once they’re ragging it down there, that’s an offensive zone shift, and you don’t have to worry about the defensive zone. That’s the best way to play defense, just watching those guys circling around playing offense.”

Walman has never been shy to show some personality, and even though he’s only been with the team for five games, you can get the sense that the group has gravitated towards him. Walman has famously pulled off a couple of incredible celebrations, particularly “hitting the griddy,” but he’s not sure if that will stick around his new teammates. 

“I think a lot of people here have great personalities, but a lot of the guys have brought up my celebrations and asked me if I’m going to do it, [playfully and encouragingly]. It’s a different mood around here. I think for me personally, it will be better in the long run just for my career. I think I’ll learn a lot for this short time at the end of the year, and then next year I’ll learn a lot from these guys.”

When it comes to adjusting away from the rink, Walman is still looking to find some new teammates who are qualified enough to join his Fortnite squad. In his words, he’s got a squad that he rolls with on the sticks that consists of a couple of different hockey players like Devante Smith-Pelly, Malcolm Subban, and Nikita Alexandrov. “A couple of the guys have asked me what I play, and I’m not sure they’re at my level, so we’ll have to see,” he said. Walman has been locked in on Fortnite since it came out. 

Walman is a Toronto native, but this is the first Canadian team he has played for in his NHL career and he can feel the difference in the energy already. 

“It’s definitely a different feeling,” he said. “Especially with the media and everything. We had like two or three guys in the locker room in San Jose, and here it’s like standard 10 or 15 to 20 people. I think it just shows the passion that Canadians have for the game, and growing up Canadian, I can comprehend what they’re feeling. You’re passionate, you want your team to win and that first game I played against Dallas was crazy, so I’m just really excited for the end of the season and the playoffs.” 

With Matthias Ekholm out on their blueline, Walman’s presence is that much more important for this team right now, and with two assists in his first five games, while also being a +4 on the ice, he’s making a positive impact off the bat. 

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