Nathan Walker
Nathan Walker | |
|---|---|
| Born | February 7, 1994 Cardiff, Wales |
| Occupation | Professional ice hockey forward |
| Years active | 2011–present |
| Known for | First Australian to play professionally in Europe; first Australian drafted into the NHL; first Australian to play and score in the NHL; member of 2018 Stanley Cup champion Washington Capitals |
Nathan Walker (born 7 February 1994) is a professional ice hockey forward of Australian nationality, originally from Wales, currently contracted with the St. Louis Blues in the National Hockey League (NHL). Although born in Wales, Walker grew up in Australia and initiated his hockey career there before relocating to the Czech Republic in 2007 to pursue advanced opportunities. He became part of the junior setup at HC Vítkovice, competing in the Czech Extraliga, and made his senior team debut in 2011, making history as the first Australian to play professionally in Europe. Throughout this period, he also had temporary stints with various lower-tier Czech clubs.
In 2013, Walker transitioned to North America by signing with the Youngstown Phantoms of the junior United States Hockey League. That same year, after attending the Washington Capitals training camp, he secured a contract with their AHL affiliate, the Hershey Bears. Internationally, Walker has represented Australia since his debut at the 2011 IIHF World Championship Division II, where he contributed to Australia's promotion to Division I. Despite being overlooked in two earlier NHL drafts, he was eventually selected by Washington in the third round of the 2014 NHL Entry Draft, becoming the first Australian ever drafted into the NHL. He made his league debut with the Capitals in 2017, marking another milestone as the first Australian to play in the NHL. During that season, after being claimed off waivers by the Edmonton Oilers, he returned to Washington following two games and was part of their 2018 Stanley Cup championship team.
Australia and Czech Republic
Walker began skating and playing hockey at six years old and by age thirteen was successfully competing against players nearly twice his age. In 2007, he excelled in Australian youth leagues, leading both under-14 and under-16 divisions with record-breaking scoring tallies: 102 points over 14 games at U14 level and 69 points across 16 games at U16.
In pursuit of stronger competition, Walker’s coach Ivan Manco facilitated a tryout with HC Vítkovice in the Czech Republic, where Walker earned a spot on their under-18 team. During the 2009–10 season, he amassed 42 points in 28 appearances for the U18 squad and progressed to play for their U20 team. Additionally, he competed for the Sydney Ice Dogs during Czech league offseasons.
On 9 October 2011, Walker made his debut for HC Vítkovice’s senior squad in the Extraliga, becoming both Europe’s first professional Australian player and the league’s youngest participant. At the 2011 Spengler Cup, he scored Vítkovice’s lone goal against Canada, setting a record as the youngest goal scorer in tournament history and earning player of the game recognition. Later that season, he was loaned to HC Olomouc competing in Czech Republic’s second-tier division.
In his inaugural Extraliga season, Walker appeared in 34 games tallying four goals and five assists; he also played two games for Olomouc contributing an assist. His performances drew NHL attention and he was ranked among top European prospects for the 2012 NHL Entry Draft but went undrafted. That summer, he participated in Washington Capitals’ development camp but due to NHL regulations had to wait until after the 2013 draft before signing a professional contract.
North America
During the 2012–13 campaign, Walker played 20 games with HC Vítkovice registering one assist and had a brief loan spell with Hokej Šumperk 2003. After six years competing in Czech leagues, he joined North America mid-season by signing with Youngstown Phantoms of the USHL in January 2013, scoring a goal on his debut. Across 29 games that season, Walker accumulated 27 points (7 goals and 20 assists), ranking fifth overall for assists despite joining halfway through. His season was cut short due to a neck injury sustained on April 5.
Following this period, Walker returned briefly to Czech Republic before attending Washington Capitals’ development camp in July 2013. Despite impressing during training camp, NHL rules prevented an immediate contract owing to his age and prior European experience; thus he had to enter the 2014 NHL Draft first. Subsequently, Walker signed with Washington’s AHL affiliate Hershey Bears in September 2013, becoming the first Australian player in AHL history. Within his initial month, he recorded his first professional goal and engaged in his first on-ice fight.
Selected 89th overall by Washington in round three of the 2014 NHL Draft, Walker became NHL’s first Australian draftee. He inked a three-year entry-level deal with Washington that July. The following season (2014–15), he spent time briefly with ECHL’s South Carolina Stingrays before returning to Hershey but suffered an ACL injury in January which ended his campaign prematurely. Prior to injury, his point totals were modest across both teams. In 2015–16 with Hershey Bears, Walker significantly improved output posting 17 goals and totaling 41 points while earning accolades including Most Improved Player, Unsung Hero, and Man of the Year for community engagement. He played 58 games during 2016–17 season before re-signing a two-year contract extension with Washington.
Walker secured a spot on Capitals’ opening roster for the 2017–18 NHL season and debuted on October 7 by scoring his first NHL goal—making him Australia’s inaugural scorer at this level—with family present for support. After being waived by Washington in November, Edmonton claimed him but within weeks he returned via waivers back to Washington. He made his playoff debut during Game Six of Washington’s Stanley Cup run that year, assisting on a goal and becoming Australia’s first player to record a postseason point. Although part of Washington’s Stanley Cup-winning roster in 2018, he did not meet minimum game requirements for engraving on the trophy.
After six seasons within Washington’s organization, Walker signed a one-year two-way contract with St. Louis Blues on July 1, 2019. Most of that season was spent playing for their AHL affiliate San Antonio Rampage; however, he appeared in five NHL contests scoring his first goal for St. Louis on November 30 followed shortly by an assist before returning to AHL duties.
On December 9, 2021, Walker achieved his first NHL hat trick during a commanding 6–2 win over Detroit.
On September 17, 2025, Walker agreed to a two-year contract extension with St. Louis valued at $1.775 million.
International competition
Walker, originally from Wales, made his first appearance with the Australian men's senior ice hockey team during the 2011 IIHF World Championship Division II Group A held in Melbourne. Australia secured the tournament title, which resulted in their advancement to Division I Group B for the 2012 Championships. Walker played a significant role by scoring four goals and assisting twice, placing him third in overall rankings and earning recognition as Australia's top player by the coaching staff.
In the 2012 Division IB World Championships, Australia ended in last place and was consequently demoted to Division IIA for the 2013 event. During this tournament, Walker contributed two goals.
Personal background
Born in Cardiff, Wales, Walker is the son of Wayne and Ceri and has an elder brother named Ryan. The family relocated to Sydney when Nathan was two years old, where he later attended Kirrawee High School. His father was involved in rugby league, and Nathan himself played junior rugby for the Cronulla Sharks until he was 15. Ryan had represented Australia on the national under-18 ice hockey team before an injury curtailed his playing career.
While competing professionally in the Czech Republic, Walker acquired proficiency in Czech, Slovak, and some Russian languages. His introduction to ice hockey began at age six after watching his brother play, further motivated by films such as The Mighty Ducks and Mystery, Alaska. A visit to Toronto deepened his enthusiasm for hockey through experiences like touring the Hockey Hall of Fame and collecting hockey-related DVDs.
Regular season and playoffs
Washington Capitals | NHL | 7 | 1 | ０ | １ | ４ | １ | ０ | １ | １ | ０ | Washington Capitals| NHL| ３| ０| １| １| ２| —| —| —| —| —| San Antonio Rampage| AHL| ４６|| １９|| １３|| ３２|| ２９|| —|| —|| —|| —|| —|| Utica Comets| AHL| ４|| ２|| ０|| ２|| ６|| —|| —|| —|| —|| —|| Springfield Thunderbirds| AHL| ４７ || １９ || ２５ || ４４ || ２４ || — || — || — || — || — || St. Louis Blues | NHL | ５６ || ２ || ８ || １０ || ２５ || — || — || — || — || — || St. Louis Blues | NHL | ４５ || ７ || ６ || １３ || １８ || — || — || — || — || — ||| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2007–08 | HC Vítkovice Steel | CZE U18 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2008–09 | HC Vítkovice Steel | CZE U18 | 33 | 6 | 9 | 15 | 16 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | ||
| 2009–10 | HC Vítkovice Steel | CZE U18 | 28 | 22 | 20 | 42 | 47 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 4 | ||
| 2009–10 | HC Vítkovice Steel | CZE U20 | 23 | 5 | 5 | 10 | 16 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2010 | Sydney Ice Dogs | AIHL | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2010–11 | HC Vítkovice Steel | CZE U18 | 10 | 4 | 10 | 14 | 22 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2010–11 | HC Vítkovice Steel | CZE U20 | 35 | 20 | 20 | 40 | 20 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2011 | Sydney Ice Dogs | AIHL | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2011–12 | HC Vítkovice Steel | CZE U18 | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 14 | ||
| 2011–12 | HC Vítkovice Steel | CZE U20 | 14 | 14 | 6 | 20 | 16 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 2011–12 | HC Vítkovice Steel | ELH | 34 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 2011–12 | HC Olomouc | CZE.2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | ||
| 2012–13 | HC Vítkovice Steel | CZE U20 | 13 | 12 | 12 | 24 | 42 | |||||||
| 2012–13 Czech Extraliga season | HC Vítkovice Steel | ELH | 20 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 29 | |||||||
| 2012–13 Czech 1. Liga season | Hokej Šumperk 2003 | CZE.2 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |||||||
| 2012–13 USHL season | Youngstown Phantoms | United States Hockey League | 29 | 7 | 20 | 27 | 63 | |||||||
| 2013–14 AHL season | Hershey Bears | American Hockey League | 43 | 5 | 6 | 11 | 40 | |||||||
| 2014–15 AHL season | Hershey Bears | AHL | 28 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 30 | |||||||
| 2014–15 ECHL season | South Carolina Stingrays | ECHL | 6 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 0 | |||||||
| 2015–16 AHL season | Hershey Bears | AHL | 73 | 17 | 24 | 41 | 41 | 20 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 11 | ||
| 2016–17 AHL season | Hershey Bears | AHL | 58 | 11 | 12 | 23 | 33 | 12 | 2 | 4 | 6 | ０ | ||
2017-18 AHL season |
Hershey Bears | AHL | 40 | 9 | 13 | 22 | 36 | — | — | — | — | — | | ||||||||||||||
Edmonton Oilers| NHL| ２| ０| ０| ０| ２| —| —| —| —| —| | ||||||||||||||
Hershey Bears| AHL| ５８|| １７|| ２２|| ３９|| ５４|| ９|| １|| ４|| ５|| ２４|| | ||||||||||||||
St. Louis Blues| NHL| ５|| １|| １|| ２|| ４|| —|| —|| —|| —|| —|| | ||||||||||||||
St. Louis Blues| NHL| ８|| １|| ０|| １|| ２|| — || — || — || — || — || | ||||||||||||||
St. Louis Blues | NHL | ３０ || ８ || ４ || １２ || ２ || ４ || ０ || ０ || ０ || ２ || | ||||||||||||||
Springfield Thunderbirds | AHL | ３０ || １３ || １６ || ２９ || ２４ || — || — || — || — || — || | ||||||||||||||
| NHL totals !229 | 28 | 28 | 56 | 122 !12 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 24 | ||||||
International
| Year | Team | Tournament | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Australia | WC (Div II) | 4 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 4 | |
| 2012 | Australia | WC (Div IB) | 5 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 4 | |
| Career senior totals | 9 | 6 | 2 | 8 | 8 | |||
Awards and honours
| Award | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| NHL | ||