Nick Walters
|
Birthday:
1994-04-11 |
Position:
D |
|
Eligible for draft:
2012 |
Shoots:
Left |
|
Drafted:
2012 |
Height:
6-2 |
|
Acquired:
4th round (116th overall), 2012 |
Weight:
200 lbs. |
Prospect Talent Score
Probability of Success
- C
History
2009-10: Selected by the Everett Silvertips in the first round (eighth overall) of the 2009 WHL Bantam Draft, Nick Walters skated for the St. Albert Raiders midget AAA team in Alberta. In 30 games he scored 5 goals with 13 assists and had a team-high 89 penalty minutes. St. Albert finished second to Lloydminster in the Dodge Division. Walters scored 1 goal with 1 assist and had 16 penalty minutes in five playoff games.
2010-11: Walters appeared in 48 of 72 games for Everett in his first WHL season and represented Canada Pacific in the 2011 U17 World Hockey Challenge. He finished with 4 assists and was minus-14 with 52 penalty minutes. The Silvertips made the playoffs despite a sub-.500 record; finishing three points ahead of last place Seattle in the U.S. Division. Walters played in one playoff game in Everett's four-game series with Portland and was minus-one with 2 penalty minutes. He skated in six games for Canada Pacific at the WHC and had no points or penalties. Pacific defeated Quebec in overtime in the bronze medal game.
2011-12: Walters skated in 62 games for Everett in his second WHL season, missing time late in the year with what was termed a "lower body injury". He scored 6 goals with 12 assists and was minus-27 with 95 penalty minutes. Everett again slipped into the playoffs (despite having the WHL's fourth-worst record), finishing just ahead of Seattle in the U.S. Division. Walters appeared in just one playoff game in the Silvertips series with Tri-City and was minus-one with 5 penalty minutes. Walters was invited to the NHL Draft Combine and was ranked 67th amongst North American skaters in Central Scouting's final rankings prior to the 2012 NHL Draft.
Talent Analysis
Walters is a rock-solid defender who isn't afraid to drop the gloves. But labeling him as strictly a brawler may be doing Walters a disservice as he also has shown that he can be an effective puck-mover. Still, the overall package is mostly raw but there is enough there that Walters could eventually develop into a decent, lower-pairing defender.
Future
Walters will play his third year at the junior level for the Everett Silvertips and is looking to improve on his overall game. He's expected to play a bigger role defensively and provide more offense than last season.
