Walker’s road back up
By: CK Nakhwal | Published: November 5th 2015With Patrice Cormier up with the Jets, and the injury bug biting again, the Moose have had to call for assistance ahead of this weekend’s games in Charlotte.
The first call of the season went out to centre Ben Walker of Manitoba’s ECHL affiliate; the Tulsa Oilers.
The second-year pro has three points in seven games for Head Coach Jason Christie’s team and has served seven minutes in penalties.
For Walker the American League isn’t something new; he played in 36 games for St John’s last season notching four points. But, this season he was assigned to Tulsa at the end of Moose training camp and has been working on his game in hopes of getting another look.
“It’s just a business and you’ve got to be patient, and you know you just got to wait for your chances and your cracks; and you got to earn your keep when you’re there.”
Walker’s whirlwind trip to catch up with the Moose in time for Thursday morning’s practice offers a glimpse in to the topsy-turvy life of a pro hockey player.
Tuesday night in Tulsa, Ben’s Oilers beat the Allen Americans and moments after settling into a happy dressing room after the victory Coach Christie handed him an itinerary outlining a trip to Winnipeg.
From the rink, it was out for a quick meal (“We didn’t have any food at home” said Ben) and then back to his apartment to pack and get some sleep.
With a 7:20 am flight, Ben was up at 4:30 am to get his equipment from the rink and get to the airport.
From Tulsa, Wednesday morning, it was off to Winnipeg with a brief layover in Minneapolis along the way.
Soon after touching down in the Manitoba capital, Ben was at the Iceplex getting his equipment needs sorted out.
Finally, it was off to rest and prepare for practice Thursday.
Friday, Ben joins his Moose teammates for the flight to Charlotte, NC and games Saturday and Sunday against the Checkers.
It’s a hectic week, but one he’s happy to experience as he looks to help the Moose and follow his hockey dreams.
Manitoba visits Charlotte for games Saturday, November 7th and Sunday, November 8th go to MooseHockey.com to listen live.
The Moose host Chicago November 12th and 13th, visit MooseHockey.com/tickets to get in on the action!
