Photo: Tori Hartman

We continue breaking-down the last 12 months for each of the Washington Capitals prospects with a review and forecast for right winger, Nathan Walker.   (You can access all of our Capitals Prospect Reports and player analysis on our “Prospects” page right here.)

VITALS
Walker is a 25-year-old winger who has primarily played in the AHL with the Hershey Bears.  The Cardiff, Wales born/Australian raised winger was drafted by the Capitals in the third round (#89 overall) of the 2014 NHL entry-level draft. Walker is an unrestricted free agent.

CAREER
Walker has played six seasons with the Hershey Bears and has played in a total of 300 games.  He scored 60 goals and had 80 assists for 140 points overall. He was +14 and had 234 penalty minutes.

2018-2019 SEASON SUMMARY
Walker finished the regular season with 17 goals and 22 assists for 39 points overall while playing in 58 games for the Hershey Bears.  He was -8 and had 54 penalty minutes.  He generally played on the third line for the Bears.

During the Bears playoff run, he played in 9 games, scored 1 goal and had 4 assists.

2018-2019 MONTH-BY-MONTH RECAP AND TREND ANALYSIS
The following month-by-month breakdown is an aggregation of our monthly prospect reports prepared during the 2018-2019 season. You can find all of our monthly prospect reports on our “Prospects” page in the top menu.

October
Walker made the Washington Capitals out of training camp, with Tom Wilson being given a 20-game suspension due to a preseason incident.  For the month, Walker played in 5 games for the Caps, scored no goals, and had 1 assist.  He was usually a healthy scratch for the Caps.

Trending: Down

November
After generally being a healthy scratch during the early part of the month, Walker was sent down to the Capitals’ AHL affiliate, the Hershey Bears, before their game on November 10.  He played six games for the Bears, scoring 2 goals and recording 2 assists

Trending: Same

December
Walker played in 13 games for the Hershey Bears during December.  He scored 5 goals and had 3 assists.  His total for the year with Hershey thus far is: 19 games, 7 goals, and 5 assists.

Trending: Same

January
Not surprisingly, Walker has been an asset to the Bears since returning to Hershey. He is fourth on the team in goals (10) and sixth in points (18), but has played in only 29 of the Bears’ 44 games. He has found a home on the third-line, playing with Beck Malenstyn and Garrett Pilon. Walker is always a potential call-up for the Caps, but will always have to clear waivers, which makes it difficult. Walker is making $650,000 this season, and will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the year.

Trending: Same

February
Walker continues to have a good showing back in Hershey, spending the month on the third-line with Garrett Pilon and Beck Malenstyn. He had three goals and three assists for the month of February, giving him 13 goals and 11 assists in just 40 games played with the Bears. He remains tied with Jayson Megna for fourth on the Bears in goals scored, and sixth on the team in total points, even though he’s played in 12-16  less games than those players with more scoring. Walker is always a potential call-up for the Caps, but will always have to clear waivers, which makes it difficult. Walker is making $650,000 this season, and will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the year.

Trending: Up

March
The feisty Aussie had a good month offensively in March, netting one goal and dishing out nine assists, including three assists in a 5-3 Hershey win at Hartford on March 10. On March 30, he assisted on both goals as the Bears beat Providence 2-1. One day later, he assisted on Steven Whitney’s game-tying goal. He has 14 goals and 20 assists in 53 games for Hershey this season. Despite his size, Walker goes to the front of the net and he always mixes it up with bigger players. If there is a scrum on the ice, it is a good bet that Walker is involved.

Trending: Up

April
For the last five games of the regular season for the Bears, Walker scored 3 goals and had 2 assists.  He finished the regular season with 17 goals and 22 assists for 39 points overall while playing in 58 games.  He was -8 and had 54 penalty minutes.

During the Bears playoff run, he played in 9 games, scored 1 goal and had 4 assists.

Trending: Up

HIGHLIGHTS

PLAYER FORECAST
Walker’s contract with the Caps and Bears expires after the 2018-19 season and he becomes an unrestricted free agent.  Given that he has been waived twice and only played in 12 games with the Capitals in two seasons, Walker is likely to explore opportunities with another organization where his chances of sticking in the NHL will possibly be better.

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By Diane Doyle

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