The Victoria Royals begin their 2017-18 WHL regular season tonight, hosting the Vancouver Giants, their bitter BC Division rivals, and they will be missing a very familiar face.
Jack Walker, the Royals all-time leading scorer aged out of the Western Hockey League last season.
He leaves his WHL career behind with a number of Victoria Royals records:
- First all-time in points, with 248
- First all-time in assists, with 147
- Second all-time in games played, with 318
- Tied for second all-time in goals, with 101
Most fans would recognize Walker as the incredibly speedy winger with that great wrist shot we loved to watch. A little-known fact, though, is that Walker was originally signed as a defenceman.
Victoria had good depth on the blueline, however, and Walker had trouble finding ice time, which is where being opportunistic and working hard comes in.
Making the switch to forward
Walker realized that his only way of guaranteeing ice time would be to play as a forward, so he put his head down and went to work.
Armed with fresh motivation and a new way to use his speed, Walker’s positional shift would end up paying massive dividends. After two seasons – one as a defender and half as a forward, he was able to establish himself as a bonafide offensive WHL threat. He racked up 18 goals and 55 points in 70 games in his first full season up front, good for fourth among the team’s forwards.
Then Jack went a little crazy – in a good way.
Breakout 2015-2016 season and beyond
In 2015-16 he posted 36 goals and 48 assists, good for third on the team as Victoria was the top regular season team, posting a preposterous record of 50-16-3-3. He was torching the opposition with his speed. Even more impressive, Walker led the team in playoff points with 8 goals and 8 assists in 13 games.
Walker’s encore to those lofty numbers was similarly impressive, 31 goals and 72 points, second best on the team. Unfortunately, he was only able to suit up for 2 playoff games but continued his post-season excellence with two goals and two assists in those games.
That injury would stop Walker from participating in Victoria’s season finale – a heartbreaking 8-period overtime loss that would end up as his last opportunity to wear the Royals sweater.
Walker brought to the table what even the most casual of Royals fans could appreciate: break-neck speed, and a tireless work ethic.
Put simply; he was a treat to watch and brought fans to their feet almost every single night.
Turning pro: the Iowa Wild
The Toronto Maple Leafs initially drafted Walker in the 6th round, 152nd overall in the 2016 NHL entry draft. The Minnesota native never came to terms with them though, and instead earned a contract with the Iowa Wild of the American Hockey League.
Should he impress there, he hopes to earn an NHL contract with his home state of Minnesota.
Video/highlights
You can relive some Walker magic and get seriously pumped for the upcoming season. Check out the montage Seer Video put together in January of 2017.
https://youtu.be/wqGatsIDv7U?t=2m39s
