HOME / Sports
Published on:

  • Defenseman Has Recorded 10 Points and a Plus-17 Rating in 40 Games 

The Detroit Red Wings today signed defenseman Jake Walman to a three-year contract extension with an average annual value of $3.4 million.

Walman, 27, has skated in 40 games with the Red Wings this season, recording 10 points (5-5-10), a plus-17 rating and 29 penalty minutes in 18:55 average time on ice. The 6-foot-2, 215-pound defenseman scored his first career overtime goal on Dec. 28 at Pittsburgh and netted three goals in a four-game span from Jan. 7-14. Walman split the 2021-22 campaign between the St. Louis Blues and Red Wings, collecting 10 points (3-7-10) and 10 penalty minutes in 51 contests. He was acquired by Detroit from St. Louis on March 21, 2022 with center Oskar Sundqvist and a second-round pick in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft in exchange for defensemen Nick Leddy and Luke Witkowski. Originally selected by St. Louis in the third round (82nd overall) of the 2014 NHL Entry Draft, Walman has logged 22 points (9-13-22), a plus-eight rating and 47 penalty minutes in 116 career NHL games since 2019-20. Walman made his Stanley Cup playoff debut with the Blues in Game 4 of the 2021 Western Conference First Round against Colorado, tallying one shot in 15:24 time on ice. The Toronto, Ont., native has also played in 169 American Hockey League games between the Chicago Wolves, Binghamton Devils and San Antonio Rampage, totaling 63 points (17-46-63) and 106 penalty minutes. 

Prior to turning professional, Walman played three seasons at Providence College, registering 69 points (21-48-69), a plus-28 rating and 106 penalty minutes in 107 games from 2014-17. During his freshman season, Walman helped the Friars win the program’s first-ever NCAA National Championship and was named to the NCAA All-East Regional Team. He led all NCAA defensemen in goals (13), points per game (1.04), power-play goals (8) and game-winning goals (4) during his sophomore campaign and was named to the CCM All-American First Team. Walman was also a First Team Hockey East All-Star during his sophomore and junior seasons, in addition to being named a Hobey Baker Nominee following his junior year. Before joining Providence, Walman had a decorated season with the Toronto Jr. Canadiens of the Ontario Junior Hockey League, contributing 33 points (7-26-33) in 43 games en route to being named the league’s Rookie of the Year.