Why, at 29, ex-Shark Walman feels his NHL career is ‘just getting started’
SAN JOSE — Former Sharks defenseman Jake Walman just turned 29 in February. But in six NHL seasons, he’s already been traded three times, sustained his share of injuries, saw his ice time fluctuate as a younger player, faced a minor disciplinary issue earlier this season, and has often been his own worst critic.
Perhaps it’s all led Walman to where he is today: a confident and productive player and a significant part of an Edmonton Oilers lineup that hopes to reach the Stanley Cup Final for a second consecutive year.
“I’m really proud of where I am right now,” Walman said Wednesday at SAP Center, where he and the Oilers will play the Sharks on Thursday. “I think all the adversity that I’ve dealt with a little bit in the beginning of my career kind of set me up for a time like this, and I think I’m just getting started in my career.”
As part of a massive pre-trade-deadline selloff, the Sharks on March 6 surprisingly sent Walman to the Stanley Cup-contending Oilers for a conditional 2026 first-round draft pick and AHL forward Carl Berglund.
Sharks general manager Mike Grier said after the March 7 deadline that entering this period, he did not intend to trade Walman or forward Fabian Zetterlund to the Ottawa Senators. Still, he felt both deals would help the franchise’s long-term outlook. The Sharks acquired Zack Ostapchuk, Noah Gregor, and a 2025 second-round draft selection in the Zetterlund trade.
Walman, acquired by the Sharks from the Detroit Red Wings for future considerations in June 2024, had 32 points in 50 games with San Jose, averaging 23:11 in ice time. He played in all situations from day one, was on the Sharks’ top defense pair and still had one more year left on his contract.
Walman had one minor issue with the Sharks. While injured, Walman sat out San Jose’s game on Nov. 5 against the Columbus Blue Jackets for not coming in to get treatment on a day off, violating a team rule. He and the team both moved on.
“He was good for us,” Sharks coach Ryan Warsofsky said of Walman. “I thought he grew a lot on and off the ice. He was a puck-moving defenseman for us, which we didn’t have a lot of, and played some big minutes, developing by playing games against teams’ top lines. He was an important player for us.”
“I just turned 29, but I’m still maturing every day and learning from older guys,” Walman said. “Doesn’t matter who, just taking pieces and like (Warsofsky) said, I think I’m really hard on myself. So maybe at the beginning of the year, when stuff wasn’t going well with our team, it was just harping and harping and just frustrated, but I’m kind of learning how to deal with certain things and being more of a mature kind of pro with whatever goes on inside the team.”
It might take some time for the Sharks to replace Walman’s production on the back end, but he’s been an ideal fit for the Oilers. Going into Thursday, Walman, in 12 games with Edmonton, has a goal and five assists and averages over 21 minutes in ice time.
Walman scored his first goal with the Oilers on Tuesday night, as his slap shot from the left flank got past fellow ex-Shark Adin Hill to tie Edmonton’s game with the Vegas Golden Knights. The Oilers would go on to win 3-1.
“He’s been touching all bases,” Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch said of Walman. “Whether it’s been on the power play, penalty kill, or 5-on-5. A very good puck-moving defenseman, obviously defends really well, but I think his biggest strength would be just how well he’s moved the puck.
“We wanted somebody who could do that for our team, just with the type of players that we had, we wanted to add a little more offense from our defense to complement the forwards that we have.”
While the Sharks hope to emerge soon from a deep rebuild, the veteran-laden Oilers appear capable of another deep playoff run after they lost in seven games to the Florida Panthers in last year’s Cup final.
Although they enter Thursday in third place in the Pacific Division, center Leon Draisaitl is the league’s third-leading scorer with 105 points and arguably this year’s leading candidate to win the Hart Memorial Trophy as the NHL player adjudged to be the most valuable to his team.
Walman grew up playing with and against Oilers superstar Connor McDavid in the greater Toronto area and watched Edmonton closely throughout last year’s playoffs.
“When you step in the room, it’s a different feel. Guys kind of know what to expect, and a totally different situation,” Walman said. “But San Jose’s, for sure, got the building blocks to do that. (But) this team is a couple of steps ahead in that area, and you know what to expect coming in.”
Walman has only played in one postseason game, with the St. Louis Blues in May 2021. But this will be a lot different, starting with what is on track to be a first-round series between the Oilers and the Los Angeles Kings for a fourth straight year.
“The fans that we have in Edmonton are unreal. They travel really well too, and kind of on the road, it feels like we’re at home sometimes,” Walman said. “Just kind of walking around the city of Edmonton, even on non-game days, people are wearing Oilers jerseys, and just really passionate and supportive of the team.
“Just really proud to be a part of it.”