Nathan Walker Hits The 2012 NHL Draft Radar
by Derek Zona on Jan 12, 2012 10:01 AM MST
in Prospects
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PrintAustralian hockey is set to make a mark on the NHL draft.
I've been following the story of Nathan Walker, the Australian plying his trade in the Czech Extraliga. Walker had a standout performance at the Spengler Cup, scoring twice and adding an assist in HC Vitkovice's four-game tournament. Walker's performance has opened some eyes in the scouting world.
NHL De-centralized Scouting released their mid-term rankings this week, and Walker had moved into a prime draft position. He's ranked 21st in Europe and second amongst players in the Czech Republic. Walker was ranked seventh in the Czech Republic in D-cSB's preliminary rankings, so this is a significant move, from undrafted to mid-round territory.
Recent history from 21st-ranked European skaters strongly suggests that Walker, should he maintain or improve his position, will be selected on the second day of the 2012 NHL Draft.
| Year | 21st-ranked Skater | Drafted | Drafted By: |
| 2011 | William Karlsson | 53 | Anaheim Ducks |
| 2010 | Petter Granberg | 116 | Toronto Maple Leafs |
| 2009 | Alexander Urbom | 73 | New Jersey Devils |
| 2008 | Tomas Kubalik | 135 | Columbus Blue Jackets |
The 5'9" 185 lb. left wing will be the first Australian ever drafted by an NHL team. Next up for Walker: become the first Australian ever to play in the NHL.
As an Oilers fan, I'd love to see the Oilers draft Walker. The sheer volume of Australian jokes, puns and wordplay available to Gene Principe during Sportsnet broadcasts would keep him busy for years.
Corey Pronman from Hockey Prospectus deserves credit on this one. I mentioned previously that Pronman thought Walker could be targeted anywhere from the bottom of the second to the bottom of the third round and was the first scout/observer to publicly talk about Walker's draft slot at that level. D-cSB's move suggests they see Walker in the same general slotting.
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The country ‘Czechslovakia’ has never even exitsted in Nathan Walker’s lifetime. That’s how long the two countries have been peacefully and amicably separated.
I’m old and that map is burned into my brain.
Editor of The Copper & Blue, and leader of The Cult Of Hartikainen.
Thank you… also, I think being 5’9 AND Australian AND playing a Czech league will really hurt his chances. However, it’d be an awesome story. It’d also be good for Czech hockey as Hertl is sure to get drafted early from a Czech league.. then Walker and Jaskin last season. Maybe they’ll actually stick around for a few years before leaving. Still trying to figure out why Walker chose the Czech Republic as it makes no sense.
When you’re 12 years old and Australian and want to make it in hockey, you go to any hockey country that will give you a shot.
Puck Worlds: Chasing Pucks from here to Turku.
For Twitter Updates on Puck Worlds, follow @puckworlds. For updates plus additional witty banter from yours truly, follow @saskhab.
BTW, Collberg over Åberg is looney.
Puck Worlds: Chasing Pucks from here to Turku.
For Twitter Updates on Puck Worlds, follow @puckworlds. For updates plus additional witty banter from yours truly, follow @saskhab.
That vote is split on the consensus list.
Editor of The Copper & Blue, and leader of The Cult Of Hartikainen.
WJC bump for Collberg?
Puck Worlds: Chasing Pucks from here to Turku.
For Twitter Updates on Puck Worlds, follow @puckworlds. For updates plus additional witty banter from yours truly, follow @saskhab.
Faksa at 4 in North America perplexed me… he jumped about 30 spots and I thought had a very ordinary WJC… happy to see a potential first round with 3 Czechs (I’m still a big Frk fan from seeing him live in Buffalo last year and Hertl was our best player this year) but probably need to do more research on Faksa as nothing about him stood out for me.
Faksa is 28th in the top 100 right now, though three new rankings go up this week. I can’t imagine him jumping 20 spots overall
Editor of The Copper & Blue, and leader of The Cult Of Hartikainen.
I meant he was number 4 for North American skaters:
http://www.tsn.ca/draftcentre/feature/?id=56839
Can you send me a link for the top 100?
Which puts him somewhere between 5 and 7 overall.
Editor of The Copper & Blue, and leader of The Cult Of Hartikainen.
Centres with size and skill always move up the draft ladder. Especially this year, when there isn’t much to choose from on that front.
Puck Worlds: Chasing Pucks from here to Turku.
For Twitter Updates on Puck Worlds, follow @puckworlds. For updates plus additional witty banter from yours truly, follow @saskhab.
Not as of yet. 3 rankings left to go though
Editor of The Copper & Blue, and leader of The Cult Of Hartikainen.
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