St. Louis Blues prospect Jake Walman had a roller coaster 2017-18 season to say
 the least. Walman played for the Vegas Golden Knights and New Jersey Devils';
AHL teams after failing to crack the Blues roster out of camp. How was this
even possible? Long story short, the Golden Knights agreed to a deal with the
 Blues'; former affiliate, the Chicago Wolves, which left the Blues with no
primary affiliate for the 2017-18 season.

There were now 31 teams in the NHL and only 30 in the AHL - somebody had to
share. Since the Blues had no primary affiliate, they were allowed to assign
their players to the Chicago Wolves since Vegas was an expansion team and would
 not be able to fill an entire AHL roster by themselves. Walman, the former
Providence College Friar who led the NCAA in points per game as a defensemen in
 2015-16, was a victim of the AHL debacle during the 2017-18 season which had
some Blues fans uncertain about his future.Chicago Wolves to the St. Louis
Blues

Walman';s roller coaster of a season started on Oct. 2 after he was cut from
the Blues main camp. The Blues sent a majority of their other cuts to
Colorado';s AHL team in San Antonio, but still decided to loan the 21-year-old
defensemen to the Chicago Wolves, who he had played 15 games for in 2016-17.

It's official: defenseman Jake Walman is being assigned to the Chicago Wolves!
pic.twitter.com/fePF36cUiX

- Chicago Wolves (@Chicago_Wolves) October 2, 2017

The main idea behind loaning Walman to Chicago was to benefit him by giving him
 the opportunity to get more ice time, since the majority of Vegas'; prospects
were not ready or old enough to play in the AHL. Blues general manager Doug
Armstrong also thought that sending some of his prospects to Vegas'; affiliate
would be good for player development because they would be mentored by
NHL-ready players that were taken in the expansion draft but did not make the
team. Doug Armstrong went on the say:

"He and I (Vegas GM, George Mcphee) have talked extensively on the benefits of
this relationship… I think it';s a really competitive advantage for Vegas and
 us to join forces. We can input some of our better prospects into their
environment."

Walman was taken under veteran Jason "Boom Boom" Garrison';s wing in Chicago.
Having Garrison as a mentor was definitely positive for Walman since Garrison
had established himself as one of the better two-way scoring defensemen a
couple years back. Throughout the year, Walman saw most of his ice time on the
second defensive pairing and was never really given the chance to run the power
 play, since Garrison was the go-to man.

Walman ended up tallying 13 points in 34 games before he was called up to the
NHL on Jan. 6 after Vince Dunn hit the IR with the flu. Walman finally got
the chance to showcase his abilities on the main stage, but never ended up
dressing for the Blues. He was sent back to the Wolves just two days later on
Jan. 8.Chicago Wolves to Binghampton Devils

Due to roster restrictions, on Jan. 31, the Blues loaned Walman to the New
Jersey Devils affiliate in Binghampton. The move marked the second AHL team
Walman had played for in the season and the third team he had reported to in
the month of January. At the time he was loaned, Binghampton was a last-place
team and Walman was once again given an excellent chance to log some serious
minutes and make a real impact. In early February, he missed a few games after
suffering a minor injury, and, when he came back, he often found himself on the
 third defensive pairing and was a healthy scratch for a handful of games.

X marks the spot for Jake Walman and the @BingDevils in the shootout! #SYRvsBNG
 pic.twitter.com/7sJNmbdwh8

- AHL (@TheAHL) April 7, 2018

Despite not receiving a whole lot of ice time, or the opportunity to make a
consistent impact in Binghampton, Walman still managed to tally seven points in
 19 games. He finished the entire 2017-18 season playing a total of 59 games
and in that time he tallied 20 points which ranked 19th in the AHL amongst
defensemen.Walman';s Future

Walman';s short-term future with the Blues is looking a little foggy. Given the
 fact that he went on an AHL rollercoaster ride last season, the Blues may want
 to give him another look in the AHL next year under their own eyes and
coaches. There is a very good chance that Walman will make his NHL debut at
some point this upcoming season, but he will likely start and play the majority
 of the season in the AHL.

The Blues defensive core heading into the 2018-19 season remains the same as
last year';s with Alex Pietrangelo, Joel Edmundson, Colton Parayko and Vince
Dunn taking the first pairings, and Jay Bouwmeester and Robert Bortuzzo on the
third pairing. If all six of these players are healthy, it will be difficult
for Walman to crack the Blues roster unless he has an outstanding main camp,
which he could have. Veteran Carl Gunnarsson, who is on a one-way deal, is
coming off of ACL surgery but should be ready for the start of the season.
Gunnarsson will most likely edge out Walman and Jordan Schmaltz for the seventh
 defensive spot.St. Louis Blues defenseman Jake Walman (46) during a pre-season
 game against the Columbus Blue Jackets at Nationwide Arena. (Aaron Doster-USA
TODAY Sports)

Walman';s long term future with the Blues is looking very bright. He should
become a full time player for the Blues during the 2019-20 season when more
spots on the back end open up. Whether the Blues actually trade Colton
Parayko, or not, they have the 34-year-old Bouwmeester, who is on the final
year of his contract, and may not be in the Blues'; plans going forward,
especially given the talent that they have in the minors like Walman, among
other very strong defensive prospects.

Walman is an extremely gifted offensive defenseman who can skate, handle the
puck, and shoot very well. If given the chance, Walman has the ability to run a
 power play on his own. During the 2015-16 season, he led the entire NCAA in
power play goals as a defensemen with eight while playing just 27 games - he
has a ton of upside.

There is no doubt that Walman has the talent to play and produce, it is just
timing at this point in his young career. Who knows, maybe all the change and
uncertainty that he faced this past 2017-18 season actually made him a better
player mentally. Expect Walman to bounce back and have a very strong 2018-19
season in the AHL and be a vital part of the Blues'; defensive core starting in
 2019.

The post Blues Prospect Walman';s Roller Coaster Season & Future Outlook
appeared first on The Hockey Writers.

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