Samuel Walker (born June 7, 1999) is an American professional ice hockey forward for the Tucson Roadrunners of the American Hockey League (AHL). He was drafted in the seventh round of the 2017 NHL entry draft by the Tampa Bay Lightning with the 200th overall selection.
Playing career Amateur Walker played for Edina High School for four seasons, finishing with 167 points. Walker was the team captain his senior year. After the 2017–18 season, he won the Minnesota Mr. Hockey Award.
He began his collegiate hockey career for the University of Minnesota during the 2018–19 season. In his full collegiate tenure with the Golden Gophers he became the second (Grant Potulny) three-year captain in school history.
Professional After his collegiate career, Walker opted to become a free agent after declining to sign with his draft club, the Tampa Bay Lightning. On August 18, 2022, he opted to sign with his home state team, the Minnesota Wild, agreeing to a two-year, entry-level contract. After attending his first Wild training camp and pre-season, Walker was re-assigned to begin his professional career in the AHL with affiliate the Iowa Wild to open the 2022–23 season.
Walker was recalled from Iowa on December 9, 2022. He scored his first NHL goal on December 27, 2022 in a game versus the Winnipeg Jets on an empty net goal.
During the 2024–25 season, Walker's development within the Wild organization stagnated, producing just 2 goals and 11 points through 30 appearances in the AHL with the Iowa Wild. On February 4, 2025, Walker was traded by the Wild to the Utah Hockey Club in exchange for future considerations.
At the completion of his contract with the Utah Mammoth, Walker opted to remain within the orgnazation, signing as a free agent to a one-year AHL contract to continue with affiliate, the Tucson Roadrunners, on July 6, 2026.
Career statistics Regular season and playoffs Regular seasonPlayoffs Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM 2014–15 Edina High MNHS 25 3 3 6 6 2 2 1 3 0 2015–16 Edina High MNHS 25 19 18 37 14 2 0 1 1 0 2016–17 Edina High MNHS 25 22 24 46 6 3 2 4 6 0 2016–17 Lincoln Stars USHL 4 0 0 0 6 — — — — — 2017–18 Edina High MNHS 25 28 30 58 12 3 4 6 10 4 2017–18 Sioux City Musketeers USHL 17 2 7 9 4 — — — — — 2018–19 University of Minnesota B1G 37 10 16 26 16 — — — — — 2019–20 University of Minnesota B1G 37 11 19 30 33 — — — — — 2020–21 University of Minnesota B1G 31 13 16 29 12 — — — — — 2021–22 University of Minnesota B1G 38 14 13 27 20 — — — — — 2022–23 Iowa Wild AHL 56 27 21 48 23 1 0 1 1 0 2022–23 Minnesota Wild NHL 9 1 1 2 0 — — — — — 2023–24 Iowa Wild AHL 70 14 31 45 24 — — — — — 2023–24 Minnesota Wild NHL 4 0 0 0 0 — — — — — 2024–25 Iowa Wild AHL 30 2 9 11 23 — — — — — 2024–25 Tucson Roadrunners AHL 31 8 14 22 8 3 0 0 0 0 2025–26 Tucson Roadrunners AHL 57 12 16 28 16 — — — — —NHL totals 13 1 1 2 0 — — — — —
International Year Team Event Result GP G A Pts PIM 2023 United States WC 4th 1 0 0 0 0 Senior totals 1 0 0 0 0
Awards and honors AwardYearRefCollegeBig Ten Freshman of the Year2019Big Ten Freshmen TeamFrank Pond Rookie of the YearPreseason All-Big Ten Second TeamAll-Big Ten Honorable Mention2020John Mariucci Most Valuable PlayerAll-Big Ten Academic TeamHonorable Mention All-Big Ten Team2021Big Ten All-Tournament TeamAHCA All-American ScholarBig Ten Distinguished ScholarAcademic All-Big Ten TeamPreseason All-Big Ten First Team2022Honorable Mention All-Big Ten TeamBig Ten Sportsmanship AwardSenior CLASS Award First Team
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