Walman helping Oilers meet 'huge expectations' during Stanley Cup Playoffs

SUNRISE, Fla. -- Jake Walman is enjoying the ride through the Stanley Cup Playoffs with the Edmonton Oilers, although it has been painful at times.

The Edmonton defenseman has blocked 49 shots, the most of any player in the postseason, and had a couple leave a mark in the first two games of the Stanley Cup Final against the Florida Panthers.

“I feel like I’ve played some hockey games pretty much, but everyone is going through stuff,” Walman said following practice Sunday. “Being here though, it’s been great. I feel like this is where I’m meant to be with this group of guys. They’ve welcomed me in right away and I feel like I’m ready for this moment. These are the games you want to be in and the reason you play hockey.”

Walman is looking forward to Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final here at Amerant Bank Arena on Monday (8 p.m. ET; MAX, truTV, TNT, SN, TVAS, CBC) with ice packs at the ready. The best-of-7 series is tied 1-1.

Acquired by Edmonton from the San Jose Sharks for a conditional first-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft and forward prospect Carl Berglund on March 7, the 29-year-old has eight points (one goal, seven assists) in 18 playoff games and is averaging 20:19 of ice time per game.

Walman had eight points (one goal, seven assists) in 15 games during the regular season for Edmonton after he had 32 (six goals, 26 assists) in 50 games with San Jose.

“He’s a guy who I played minor hockey with for a year, so definitely I knew a lot about him,” Oilers captain Connor McDavid said. “He’s fit in really well, a guy who blocks shots, plays physical, plays with a good edge, moves the puck, skates well. He checks a lot of boxes. He’s played really well for us so far.”

Walman has played the majority of the postseason on a pair with John Klingberg but skated with Mattias Ekholm at practice Sunday.

The Oilers may change their defense pairs after a 5-4 double overtime loss in Game 2 in Edmonton on Friday. They won the opening game of the Cup Final rematch 4-3 in overtime on Wednesday.

“He’s a very underrated physical player for not being a huge defenseman, that’s a big element of his game,” Ekholm said. “Obviously, he’s got the skills, and he probably has a lot of confidence coming from San Jose, playing first power-play minutes and having that offensive side of the game. He’s a really good two-way defenseman. He’s fit in really well with us and he brings that juice and that physical element and he’s been really good for us.”

Along with the blocked shots, Walman has registered 30 hits this postseason, including six through the first two games of what has been a physical Final.

Walman also had an assist in each of the first two games against the Panthers, and a case could be made that he has exceeded expectations with Edmonton throughout the playoffs, particularly in the absence of Ekholm, who missed the first 15 games of the postseason with an undisclosed injury.

Walman had to take on a larger role than first expected entering the playoffs and showcased his ability to jump into the rush and help create offense from the back end.

“Jake’s been a tremendous asset to our team. He elevated his play, along with some other defensemen, with Ekholm being out,” Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch said. “It was nice having that, making that change, adding him at the trade deadline, because defensive depth is so important.

“We saw that through our run and as for Jake, he’s been used in many situations: power play, penalty kill a lot, 5-on-5. He’s moved around and played with pretty much every [defensive] partner. Lately he’s been spending a lot of time with Klingberg, and that pair’s been really good, but I think for the most part everybody he’s been playing with has been a strong pair, and a lot of that has to do with how he’s played.”

A native of Toronto, Walman and McDavid played minor hockey together with the Under-14 Toronto Marlboros before reuniting in the NHL this season. With McDavid as a former teammate, it did not take Walman long to feel right at home in Edmonton.

“He fit in right away,” Oilers defenseman Darnell Nurse said. “For a few of us from the Toronto area, and me being from Hamilton, I worked out with him for a few years, too. There were some familiar faces in here and that always makes it very easy to fit into the group, and he’s fit in great with us.”

The willingness to block shots has endeared Walman to all his teammates. He was credited with four blocks in Game 1 and two in Game 2. A couple of them had him in distress on the bench but he was able to return on both occasions.

Walman’s ability to move the puck and skate out of trouble has also bolstered Edmonton’s mobile blue line.

“The biggest thing in hockey is obviously skating, and his skating ability are obviously really, really good,” Klingberg said. “He gets really low when he’s skating, he’s got a lot of balance, and he’s always on the move and being able to time it and control it a lot.

“He’s also a great hockey mind, he passes the puck really well and shoots it really well. Defensively, too, he’s blocking a lot of shots and is always in the right spots. I knew he was good before, but I was very surprised how good he actually is.”

Coming to a Stanley Cup contender, Walman knew expectations would be higher than on a rebuilding team in San Jose. So far, he’s risen to the challenge and is hoping to help Edmonton win its first Stanley Cup since 1990.

“Obviously, there are huge expectations here,” Walman said. “Coming in here knowing what this team was all about, I didn’t have to do too much out of my comfort zone, it’s just playing the way I know I can. I always knew I had this in me, I guess you wouldn’t really know unless you are close to me. This is where I am now and obviously at a stage where I can show it.”