LD Jake Walman (2014, 82nd, STL)

[Maplebeasts]

As low character as it may seem to only try out for one country's team because it's easier to crack, at the end of the day the priority for management of Hockey Canada should be icing a winning team. If Walman is one of your seven best defenders, he should make your roster. Needless to say it would be really petty and childish to damage your country's chances at winning over hurt feelings.

 

[habsrule4eva3089]

I like this answer from another thread by this poster.

International sports is not professional sports, it's more than about just winning gold. It's about being proud to be Canadian or whatever country you were born in. When you put on that jersey it's because you wanted to and not because it was your second choice. It's about loyalty and understanding where your from. We have more then enough talented players to win gold with or without him. There's a reason we're the best Hockey nation on this planet.

 

[herashak]

i say if he is willing to go through training camp and tryouts and make the team you should let him come by. These top NCAA players shouldn't be ignored. Watching guys like hickey, gillies, jankowski and gaudreau come through and play with and against junior guys and look amazing. They can be too talented to pass up.

 

[tfriede2]

Walman previously indicated that Team USA scouted him much more and reached out to him, which represented one of the reasons why he chose USA. Oh, and he's kind of an American citizen and goes to college in America...but let's crap all over him because he holds dual citizenship and is in a position to hold both countries in high regard.

 

[JackSlater]

As low character as it may seem to only try out for one country's team because it's easier to crack, at the end of the day the priority for management of Hockey Canada should be icing a winning team. If Walman is one of your seven best defenders, he should make your roster. Needless to say it would be really petty and childish to damage your country's chances at winning over hurt feelings.

Yes, it's about hurt feelings. Not about a guy trying to play for another team that Canada will have to play in the tournament. Walman made his choice, now he should stay with it.

i say if he is willing to go through training camp and tryouts and make the team you should let him come by. These top NCAA players shouldn't be ignored. Watching guys like hickey, gillies, jankowski and gaudreau come through and play with and against junior guys and look amazing. They can be too talented to pass up.

It has nothing to do with NCAA. Hockey Canada already invited him to the summer camp.

Walman previously indicated that Team USA scouted him much more and reached out to him, which represented one of the reasons why he chose USA. Oh, and he's kind of an American citizen and goes to college in America...but let's crap all over him because he holds dual citizenship and is in a position to hold both countries in high regard.

Hockey Canada reached out to him. I'm sure his one year in the United States and having citizenship due to his mother's nationality are huge factors. He chose USA seemingly because it was an easier team to make, and that choice bit him.

 

[Wats]

Man, did Blues end up with another Colton Parayko type stud mid round?

 

[habsrule4eva3089]

Hockey Canada will do the right thing come invitation time hopefully.

Invite the best Canadian Hockey players. Not a wannabe traitor who doesn't know his own roots. Let him live with this decision for this entire career and end up on the losing side.

 

[Dbrownss]

Whole lot of butt hurt in here lmao....

 

[tfriede2]

Hockey Canada will do the right thing come invitation time hopefully.

Invite the best Canadian Hockey players. Not a wannabe traitor who doesn't know his own roots. Let him live with this decision for this entire career and end up on the losing side.

Half of his family is from the U.S. and he goes to college in the U.S. - I guess one is not allowed to have roots in multiple countries? That doesn't seem very tolerant.

 

[Dod93Cityt]

Whole lot of butt hurt in here lmao....

No kidding, geez. There's obviously some hard feelings around here.

I dont think Hockey Canada implemented a rule that you need a certain level of pride to compete, and I bet Walman does have pride. People are acting like he chose the US because he hates Canada and its people

It's ridiculous.

 

[Fantomas]

He chose USA seemingly because it was an easier team to make, and that choice bit him.

Source?

 

[JackSlater]

Source?

Bob McKenzie said it in the summer and he still says it.

 

[Fantomas]

Bob McKenzie said it in the summer and he still says it.

Could you link this please? Because the wording matters. Either McKenzie is citing Walman or speculating about this.

Furthermore if this was a fact why then use the word "seemingly"? What does "seemingly" mean if not just speculation about Walman's intentions?

 

[KirkOut]

Man, did Blues end up with another Colton Parayko type stud mid round?

Now if we could only find a forward...

 

[JackSlater]

Could you link this please? Because the wording matters. Either McKenzie is citing Walman or speculating about this.

Furthermore if this was a fact why then use the word "seemingly"? What does "seemingly" mean if not just speculation about Walman's intentions?

The link is already in the thread, but here you go:

http://www.tsn.ca/mckenzie-the-curious-case-of-jake-walman-1.400601

Obviously Walman did not come out and declare that he wouldn't make the Canadian team. I'm pretty comfortable going with Bob McKenzie since he very rarely publishes baseless speculation, and he has said this since the summer. It's also clear that he was basically a lock for USA given that they are so displeased with the IIHF's decision.

 

[OttawaRoughRiderFan*]

Talk about cutting off your nose to spite your face - this applies to both Walman and Hockey Canada.

A wise man once told me, "Never let pride get in the way of doing what's smart" - and what's smart for Hockey Canada is to lock up this kid. Reach out to Walman, give him a chance to make the team and if he makes it, get over it. He's 19 for God's sake. If people held me accountable for every stupid decision I made when I was 19, I'd be up at 12:13 a.m. on a Saturday night, writing posts on HF.

 

[Fantomas]

The link is already in the thread, but here you go:

http://www.tsn.ca/mckenzie-the-curious-case-of-jake-walman-1.400601

Obviously Walman did not come out and declare that he wouldn't make the Canadian team. I'm pretty comfortable going with Bob McKenzie since he very rarely publishes baseless speculation, and he has said this since the summer. It's also clear that he was basically a lock for USA given that they are so displeased with the IIHF's decision.

McKenzie's wording is as follows.

He opted for Team USA - presumably because he thought his chances of making the American team were better and/or not many U.S. college products play for Team Canada.

Emphasis on presumably. Meaning that this is McKenzie's presumption, nothing more.

If McKenzie were to suggest that this was insider info, based on the claim of a source or Walman himself, then he would have said so very clearly.

 

[rumrokh]

The robotic nationalism in this thread is creepy as hell. Healthy pride is about confidence in your own value. You don't have more or less value because of where you were born or where your parents were born, something that was completely out of your control. Regardless of rivalries, hockey should endeavor to be an inclusive community. Someone who is part of the international hockey community could be a "traitor" of sorts by doing something to damage the community, but the idea of being a traitor across arbitrary lines within the community is caveman garbage. Blacklisting a player out of spite, on the other hand, is the kind of action I'd call traitorous to the sport.

 

[Reilly13]

If he's good enough to make the team then he's good enough to make the team.

This is hardly the first player to do this anyway.

 

[JackSlater]

McKenzie's wording is as follows.

Emphasis on presumably. Meaning that this is McKenzie's presumption, nothing more.

If McKenzie were to suggest that this was insider info, based on the claim of a source or Walman himself, then he would have said so very clearly.

I'm well aware of what he said, considering I read it already. If McKenzie is mentioning the easier route as a reason for Walman to try out for USA, there is very likely a reason. He isn't Darren Dreger.

The robotic nationalism in this thread is creepy as hell. Healthy pride is about confidence in your own value. You don't have more or less value because of where you were born or where your parents were born, something that was completely out of your control. Regardless of rivalries, hockey should endeavor to be an inclusive community. Someone who is part of the international hockey community could be a "traitor" of sorts by doing something to damage the community, but the idea of being a traitor across arbitrary lines within the community is caveman garbage. Blacklisting a player out of spite, on the other hand, is the kind of action I'd call traitorous to the sport.

Kumbaya. You can calm your bleeding heart. If Hockey Canada doesn't pick Walman he will be free to play for USA, just as he no doubt dreamed about since he was a boy growing up in Toronto, in just a few months.

 

[1Gold Standard]

dual citizens get to choose, it's their right and everybody should just learn to accept it. He's been a dual citizen since he was born and whatever his choice is and whatever motivation he has for making that choice, quite frankly, it is none of our business. And this is not like certain Eastern European countries who pay and hand out passports to athletes in about a 20 minute process just to bump up the medal count at an Olympics.

 

[rumrokh]

Kumbaya. You can calm your bleeding heart. If Hockey Canada doesn't pick Walman he will be free to play for USA, just as he no doubt dreamed about since he was a boy growing up in Toronto, in just a few months.

What I said had nothing to do with whether or not Walman makes a team. And my opinion of what constitutes healthy or unhealthy pride is not about a bleeding heart, it's a reaction to people literally calling him a traitor based on nationalism. But that's cool, please continue to paint me as a caricature if that satisfies you.

 

[orangeandblack]

So I guess Hockey Canada shouldn't want Chychrun then either? After all, the only reason he came into the picture with Hockey Canada is because the US denied him a USHL roster spot as a 15 year old.

 

[JayKing]

dual citizens get to choose, it's their right and everybody should just learn to accept it. He's been a dual citizen since he was born and whatever his choice is and whatever motivation he has for making that choice, quite frankly, it is none of our business. And this is not like certain Eastern European countries who pay and hand out passports to athletes in about a 20 minute process just to bump up the medal count at an Olympics.

Exactly. They get to choose. And he chose USA.

 

[Harry Kakalovich]

I'm more interested in how he is playing than whether he is a traitor or not.