After going on waivers twice and having a two-game stint with the Edmonton Oilers, Nathan Walker officially returned to the Hershey Bears Friday and his teammates were very, very excited to see him.
Chris Bourque, who is days away from being named to Team USA’s 2018 Winter Olympics team, greeted Walker with a huge, body-enveloping hug as the Australian jumped on the ice for the team’s morning skate.
We're not sure if you can tell, but @NathanWalks10 is back and @cbourque17 was pretty excited to see him. #HockeyHugs #HBH pic.twitter.com/L74mnbDyws
— Hershey Bears (@TheHersheyBears) December 29, 2017
Afterwards, the Hershey Bears announced that Walker would make his Hershey season debut tonight against the Springfield Thunderbirds.
Looks who's back! @NathanWalks10 makes his Hershey season debut tonight. #HBH pic.twitter.com/Of5yWk6mJK
— Hershey Bears (@TheHersheyBears) December 29, 2017
Walker will also likely play in his first game in front of Hershey Bears fans Saturday night against the WBS Baby Penguins.
More from the Bears:
Tonight’s game marks the return of forward Nathan Walker to Hershey’s lineup after being loaned from Washington. The fan-favorite in Hershey has skated in 202 career AHL games with the Bears, tallying 79 points (34 goals, 45 assists) to go along with a +30 rating and 144 penalty minutes. Walker tallied 23 points (11 goals, 12 assists) for Hershey in 2016-17 during a season that saw the forward limited to 58 games due to injury. The 5-foot-9, 186-pound forward has also played in 32 Calder Cup Playoff games with the Bears, scoring 11 points (four goals, seven assists). Walker, 23, played in seven games with the Capitals this season, scoring one goal and tallying four penalty minutes. Walker made history when he became the first Australian to play in the NHL when he made his debut on Oct. 7. The forward scored his lone goal that evening versus the Canadiens in a 6-1 Washington win. He was claimed off waivers by Edmonton on Dec. 1, and appeared in two games with the Oilers before being reclaimed on waivers by the Capitals on Dec. 20. Walker will wear #12 with the Bears. Forward Jeremy Langlois will switch to #13.
Headline photo: @TheHersheyBears
Share On