NEWS

Toronto Jr. Canadiens defenceman and CJHL/OJHL Top Draft Prospect Jake Walman (photo credit - Shawn Muir/OJHL Images) will participating in the 2014 NHL Scouting Combine being held in Toronto, Ontario.

The 18-year old defenceman was one of the biggest surprises on the Jr. Canadiens blueline this season and shot up the scouting radar throughout the course of his rookie OJHL season with a smooth-skating blend of both offensive and defensive two-way play.  His play led him to be the top-ranked OJHL player for the 2014 NHL Draft, most recently named winner of the OJHL Top Prospect and CJHL Top Draft Prospect Awards as selected by NHL Central Scouting, as well as the OJHL Rookie-of-the-Year Award.

The 6'1", 175 lbs. native of Toronto, Ontario was counted on to play in all situations including key minutes on special teams and against the other team’s top lines.  A huge part of the Jr. Canadiens offence, Walman recorded 7 goals, 26 assists and 33 points in 43 regular season games played, ranking him second on the club among rearguards.  The impressive rookie totals also ranked him among the league's best defenders, including 16th in goals, 13th in assists and 14th overall in scoring.  Not one to shy away from the physical game, Walman recorded 87 penalty minutes to finish fifth on the team.

Other highlights of Walman’s impressive rookie campaign included being named a member of Team Canada East and competing at the 2013 World Junior 'A' Challenge held in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia.  He was also a member of the OJHL South-East Conference All-Star Team that would finish as runner-up to the host QJAAAHL at the 2013 Central Canada Cup All-Star Challenge that was held in Terrebonne, Quebec.  Following the season, Walman was named an OJHL 1st Team All-Prospect and in January he was the top-ranked OJHL player, 60th among North American skaters, by NHL Central Scouting in the mid-term ranking for the 2014 NHL Draft.  Walman is committed to join the Providence College Friars beginning with the 2014-15 Hockey East season.

Below is the official press release from the CJHL website (www.cjhlhockey.com):

Defensemen Jake Walman of the Toronto Jr. Canadiens (OJHL) and Brandon Hickey of the Spruce Grove Saints (AJHL) are participating in the 2014 NHL Scouting Combine in Toronto this week. Walman is listed at No. 47 amongst North American skaters while Hickey is listed at No. 63.

Developing the invite list for the 2014 NHL Combine adopted a two-stage process as compared to other years. In the initial stage, the top 75 players on the NHL Central Scouting Players to Watch List were invited and in the final stage, the NHL clubs voted on the remaining 45 players. The number of invites increased this year as compared to past years. The Combine is split into three parts - an interview phase on May 26-30, followed by medical exams on May 30 and fitness testing on May 31 at the Toronto International Centre.

Jake Walman is the top-ranked OJHL and CJHL Prospect for the 2014 NHL Draft, and was recently named winner of the OJHL and CJHL Rookie of the Year Awards. The 18-year old defenceman was one of the biggest surprises on the Jr. Canadiens blueline this season and shot up the NHL scouting radar throughout the course of his rookie OJHL season. Walman recorded 26 assists and 33 points in 43 regular season games. Walman was named a member of Team Canada East for the 2013 World Junior A Challenge, and selected for the OJHL South-East Conference All-Star Team at the 2013 Central Canada Cup All-Star Challenge. Walman is committed to join the Providence College Friars beginning with the 2014-15 season.

Brandon Hickey tripled his offensive output during his second year with the Spruce Grove Saints, recording 18 assists and 22 points in 2013-2014. The 18 year-old defenceman was selected to represent Canada on Team West at the 2013 World Junior A Challenge in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia. He is the highest ranked NHL Draft Prospect in the Alberta Junior Hockey League. Hickey has committed to play for Boston University for the 2014-15 season.

The NHL Combine attendees include the top 101 North American players on NHL Central Scouting's final rankings as well as 18 international prospects. For the complete player list click here.

The 2014 NHL Entry Draft will be held on June 27-28 at Philadelphia’s Wells Fargo Center Arena.