# Sammy Walker (ice hockey)

Samuel “Sammy” Walker (born June 7, 1999) is an American professional ice hockey forward for the Tucson Roadrunners of the American Hockey League (AHL) while under contract to the Utah Hockey Club of the National Hockey League (NHL). 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 first three-year captain in school history.

### Professional

After his collegiate career, Walker opted to become a free agent after declining to sign with draft club, the Tampa Bay Lightning. On August 18, 2022, he opted to sign with home state team, the Minnesota Wild, in 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.

## Career statistics
### Regular season and playoffs

| | | | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs |
| 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 | — | — | — | — | — |
| NHL totals | NHL totals | 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 | Senior totals | Senior totals | Senior totals | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |

## Awards and honors

| Award | Year |
| College |||
| Big Ten Freshman of the Year | 2019 |
| Big Ten Freshmen Team | 2019 |
| Frank Pond Rookie of the Year | 2019 |
| Preseason All-Big Ten Second Team | 2019 |
| All-Big Ten Honorable Mention | 2020 |
| John Mariucci Most Valuable Player | 2020 |
| All-Big Ten Academic Team | 2020 |
| Honorable Mention All-Big Ten Team | 2021 |
| Big Ten All-Tournament Team | 2021 |
| AHCA All-American Scholar | 2021 |
| Big Ten Distinguished Scholar | 2021 |
| Academic All-Big Ten Team | 2021 |
| Preseason All-Big Ten First Team | 2022 |
| Honorable Mention All-Big Ten Team | 2022 |
| Big Ten Sportsmanship Award | 2022 |
| Senior CLASS Award First Team | 2022 |