He Griddy’d his way into the NHL spotlight this season. But truth be told, even without his now-famous OT goal celebration, Jake Walman has been an overlooked bright spot for the Detroit Red Wings this season, and he’s starting to get some well-deserved kudos for it.
Since returning to the lineup in November after offseason surgery, Walman has slowly played his way from a depth/extra defensemen into a top four role, and appears to be slowly earning more responsibility with each passing game. That’s not bad considering a lot of fans’ reactions to Walman’s initial return was “oh yeah, Jake Walman is still here.