Samuel “Sammy” Walker (born June 7, 1999) is an American professional ice hockey forward for the Iowa Wild of the American Hockey League (AHL) while under contract to the Minnesota Wild 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.