Prospect Info: Sammy Walker

[Dr Jan Itor]

Walker has 4 goals in the last 2 games.

Not sure he has enough swagger to get called up again.

 

[57special]

He does get a lot of PP goals, but playing on the PP does fit his skill set. Hard to get mad at him for scoring goals… if he does come up( unlikely, barring trade or injury), then they should try to work him into the #2 PP ASAP, which is atrocious as is.
His main weakness is his strength, or lack of it. He’s stronger and longer than Rossi, though,and has a bit of an edge to him. Still, could really use a few lbs. Makes me wonder what he was doing in all those years in college.

 

[BagHead]

He does get a lot of PP goals, but playing on the PP does fit his skill set. Hard to get mad at him for scoring goals… if he does come up( unlikely, barring trade or injury), then they should try to work him into the #2 PP ASAP, which is atrocious as is.
His main weakness is his strength, or lack of it. He’s stronger and longer than Rossi, though,and has a bit of an edge to him. Still, could really use a few lbs. Makes me wonder what he was doing in all those years in college.

I think a lot of Gopher fans were wondering that too. He's actually been a better scorer in the pros than college. Strange case.

 

[57special]

I think a lot of Gopher fans were wondering that too. He's actually been a better scorer in the pros than college. Strange case.

I am not at all surprised that he is more at home as a pro than a college player, though I thought he was vg as a Gopher. I was pleasantly surprised that he made it through college. His two brothers before him quit HS to play junior hockey, then minor league pros. School was never his thing, really.

However his career turns out( seems to be a lock to have a long term AHL/ good Euro league career), it’s nice to have the degree, and the connections that go with it. You don’t get those by riding a bus between Red Deer and Medicine Hat. Just staying in school and getting his degree is a big accomplishment for a rink rat like him.

 

[BagHead]

I am not at all surprised that he is more at home as a pro than a college player, though I thought he was vg as a Gopher. I was pleasantly surprised that he made it through college. His two brothers before him quit HS to play junior hockey, then minor league pros. School was never his thing, really.

However his career turns out( seems to be a lock to have a long term AHL/ good Euro league career), it’s nice to have the degree, and the connections that go with it. You don’t get those by riding a bus between Red Deer and Medicine Hat. Just staying in school and getting his degree is a big accomplishment for a rink rat like him.

May I ask why you're not surprised at his scoring success in pros? Might give me more insight on what to look for in developing players.

 

[57special]

May I ask why you're not surprised at his scoring success in pros? Might give me more insight on what to look for in developing players.

Because I thought he was better than his stats in college…. That’s simply my opinion, and not one I can back up. Also thought that he had one skill, speed, that was already NHL level, and from knowing him for a long time, that he was a skilled rink rat who was all about hockey. My main doubt about him was his size and strength. He has grown a bit( looks to be a legit 5’10-11”, easily two inches taller than Rossi), but still needs to beef up. Not sure that he can.

The TBL board was impressed with him years ago in their development camps, where his speed, quickness, and skill stuck out.

It’s a bit of a weird comparison, but he is sort of the anti-Rossi, for me. I never saw much in Rossi’s game in juniors, but he kept racking up absurd point totals, so he must be good, right? I kept seeing a tiny guy without any speed. Good brain, nice skill, but man, he really was starting from behind in terms of speed, size, and strength. I also wondered how he’d respond to physical play at higher levels…he seems like a civilized, nice guy… too nice? With Walker, he had the speed, and acceleration, and he can also be a nasty, competitive little prick when he wants to be. A Jason Zucker, slash the back of the ankles when the ref isn’t looking type guy. That will serve him well in the pros. In his first fight, he thumped his guy. Kept punching and didn’t stop till his opponent went down. He’s a competitor, underneath that Minnesota Nice veneer.

Still not a lock for the NHL, and he is in a good situation in Iowa, but I would argue that some team, if not us, would give him a spot to play as a regular right now.. I would also argue that his play is what is helping lift Iowa right now, not the other way around.

 

[Dr Jan Itor]

I think a lot of Gopher fans were wondering that too. He's actually been a better scorer in the pros than college. Strange case.

This Gopher fan was. Such a disappointment his senior year was on a team that could've won the title.

 

[BagHead]

Because I thought he was better than his stats in college…. That’s simply my opinion, and not one I can back up. Also thought that he had one skill, speed, that was already NHL level, and from knowing him for a long time, that he was a skilled rink rat who was all about hockey. My main doubt about him was his size and strength. He has grown a bit( looks to be a legit 5’10-11”, easily two inches taller than Rossi), but still needs to beef up. Not sure that he can.

The TBL board was impressed with him years ago in their development camps, where his speed, quickness, and skill stuck out.

It’s a bit of a weird comparison, but he is sort of the anti-Rossi, for me. I never saw much in Rossi’s game in juniors, but he kept racking up absurd point totals, so he must be good, right? I kept seeing a tiny guy without any speed. Good brain, nice skill, but man, he really was starting from behind in terms of speed, size, and strength. I also wondered how he’d respond to physical play at higher levels…he seems like a civilized, nice guy… too nice? With Walker, he had the speed, and acceleration, and he can also be a nasty, competitive little prick when he wants to be. A Jason Zucker, slash the back of the ankles when the ref isn’t looking type guy. That will serve him well in the pros. In his first fight, he thumped his guy. Kept punching and didn’t stop till his opponent went down. He’s a competitor, underneath that Minnesota Nice veneer.

Still not a lock for the NHL, and he is in a good situation in Iowa, but I would argue that some team, if not us, would give him a spot to play as a regular right now.. I would also argue that his play is what is helping lift Iowa right now, not the other way around.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts!

 

[MNRube]

Would like to see Walker get another call up this spring. Having him, Duhaime, Dewar and Shaw really gives the team a boost in speed and motor