Fresh off his performance at the under-17 Five Nations Tournament in the Czech Republic, Jack Walker has officially put pen to paper, joining older brother Ben Walker in Victoria Royals' blue.
The 16-year-old defenceman signed a Western Hockey League contract on Wednesday less than two weeks after representing Team USA at the international tournament. Jack Walker was previously on the Royals' 50-man protected list.
"It's nice to get that done. He's shown up here today and he looks like he's ready to go, which is great," said Royals' general manager Cam Hope. "I think he had a pretty good experience over there [Chomutov, Czech Republic].
Walker is in the same boat as highly touted first-round pick Joe Hicketts in that he's a 16-year-old defenceman trying to crack a major junior roster.
"We're pretty excited," said Hope. "In a way, it's almost like getting two first-round picks with Jack and Joe. I know the guys on our [scouting] staff who have seen him feel that he's got enough of a game both offensively and defensively where he can compete."
The Edina, Minnesota, native spent the 2011-12 season playing for the Edina Hornets high school team.
In 29 games, he collected two goals and 12 assists and had 22 penalty minutes. The five-foot-10, 170-pound defenceman will be on the ice today when the Royals open rookie training camp at Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre.
