Connect with us

San Jose Sharks

Sharks Locker Room: Walman Finding Home in San Jose?

Published

2 months ago

on

Credit: Dean Tait/Sport Shots

Has Jake Walman found a home with the San Jose Sharks?

You can’t argue with the early returns for Walman, acquired by GM Mike Grier, along with a 2024 second-round pick, from the Detroit Red Wings for future considerations this past summer.

With two assists on Saturday, part of a 4-2 victory over the Seattle Kraken, Walman is up to 19 points, tied for sixth among all NHL defensemen with the likes of John Carlson, Rasmus Dahlin, Shayne Gostisbehere, and Dougie Hamilton. Walman also played a career-high 26:20 and leads San Jose at 22:32 a night.

So that’s the Sharks’ No. 1 d-man, signed until 2026-27 at just $3.4 million AAV, for the cost of nothing and a free second-round pick on top of that.

“He’s got a really natural ability to break out pucks and make plays, whether that’s off our breakouts, the neutral zone, and the offensive zone, he could kind of impact all three zones,” San Jose Sharks head coach Ryan Warsofsky said.

One example of that, per Stathletes?

Walman leads the Sharks and is 20th among all NHL defensemen with 15.8 Defensive Zone Passes Leading to Exits Per 60.

Here’s a neutral zone example, Walman to Ty Dellandrea to Luke Kunin.

And here’s an offensive zone example, partner Cody Ceci slamming it home:

Mario Ferraro and Will Smith scored the other Sharks goals tonight.

For a San Jose side that struggled breaking out of the zone last year, Walman has been indispensable.

Walman has also fit seamlessly in the locker room, Sharks color commentator Drew Remenda said on the broadcast.

“We have a good group here. I’m fortunate to be a part of this team,” Walman said.

Can Walman keep it up? His career-high is 21 points in 63 contests last season. Just 22 games into his season, the 28-year-old defenseman is about to blow past that milestone.

Can San Jose, 9-6-3 in their last 15, keep it up?

“I’ve said it a couple times now to the group and to you guys that we’re building something pretty good here, and you can tell the confidence is kind of growing each day and within the group,” Walman said. “Hopefully, we can give San Jose something to cheer for, where we’re making these games pretty meaningful.”

Cody Ceci

Ceci, on San Jose Sharks assistant coach Doug Houda’s message to the defense in the third period:

Just keep it simple. Stay between the dots and try and get quick changes. So we tried to just get on and off the ice as quick as we could. It’s on a back-to-back, so you got to try and preserve your energy and be smarter.

Ceci, on Blackwood:

Yeah, he was great for us. They were definitely pushing to even up this little mini-series we had. And he stood on his head for us and came up big when they had some Grade-A chances. It’s awesome to see him bounce back. It’s the kind of guy he is. He stays pretty even keel, and to see him play like he did tonight was great for him and for the group.

Jake Walman

Watch the full Walman interview here

Mackenzie Blackwood

Watch the full Blackwood interview here

Ryan Warsofsky

Watch the full Warsofsky interview here

Related Topics:

Sheng’s Travel Fund

Help fund Sheng's travel! Every dollar goes to the cost of getting to and from Sharks road games.


Click here to contribute to Sheng's travel pool!

Get SJHN in your inbox!

Enter your email address to get all of our articles delivered directly to your inbox.

Hockey Shots

Extra Hour Hockey Training

Cathy’s Power Skating

Sharks Team & Cap Info