‘It lived up to the hype’: Oilers defenceman Jake Walman living in the moment in first Stanley Cup Final appearance

If there were a warrior of the game award, Edmonton Oilers defenceman Jake Walman would’ve received it for his performance in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final.

He was all over the rink offensively and defensively, assisting on Leon Draisaitl’s goal 66 seconds into the game, taking five shots on goal, blocking four and laying three hits, helping contribute in many ways to the Oilers’ 4-3 win over the Florida Panthers.

And for Walman, it was all worth the wait.

“It lived up to the hype for sure for me. Just dreaming about that,” he said Thursday. “And then the biggest thing is probably got a lot more texts from friends and family this game than any other.”

Walman arrived in Edmonton at the NHL’s trade deadline, acquired from the San Jose Sharks in exchange for a conditional 2026 first-round pick and minor-leaguer Carl Berglund.

He was known to the Oilers for being an offensive defenceman, somebody who could move the puck up the ice with ease in thanks to his skating ability, head coach Kris Knoblauch said. But what the second-year coach was surprised most about was his ability to play solid defensive hockey, putting his body on the line when it came to getting in front of opposing shots.

That was something he did lot in that first game of the series, taking one off the arm and another off the outside of the knee.

“I’m pretty sure we wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for Jake, among others,” said Knoblauch Thursday. “But Jake’s game was tremendous, especially (when we were) missing (Mattias) Ekholm. We needed guys to step up in Ekholm’s absence — he was one of those guys.

“When we got Jake, we wanted a guy who was a puck moving defenceman, some agility, give us a little more scoring, and yes, he gave us all that. But one thing I didn’t know about Jake was how how many block shots he had. The first game he played with us, he had about five or six. And throughout the (game) last night, I know he had about three or four.

“He’s willing to put his body in front of the puck and make it hard for them to score. He’s also physical, he had some big hits last night. So a nice surprise. We knew we were getting a smart, good skating defenceman, some offensive flair, the guy can probably be on the first unit power play if we needed that. But I didn’t understand or knew about his all-around game, and his defensive play has been really well.”

Walman’s used to that by now. He flew under the radar when he started his career with the St. Louis Blues before getting dealt to the Detroit Red Wings. There, he began to break out as a player, averaging 19 and a half minutes across his 145 games in the Motor City. He chipped in offence, and found his way to be on the good side of the ledger more often than not.

And there was palpable shock in June 2024 when the Red Wings dealt him, alongside a second-round pick, to the Sharks for future considerations. He continued breaking out with the Sharks earlier this year, scoring six goals and 32 points in 50 games, helping a young team stay in games all year long.

When the Oilers managed to swing a deal for him, there was, once again, shock, as Walman was never a player who seemed to be available in the market.

Nonetheless, Stan Bowman got it done, and it’s helped to transform the Oilers blue line.

“At the trade deadline, we wanted players with versatility,” said Knoblauch. “We talk Trent Frederic playing numerous positions — Jake Wallman, same position. He’s played with every single other defenceman. He’s been on the left side, he’s been on the right side. Right now, he’s been playing a lot with Klingberg, which I think those two have been great together. His role on this run has been very important.”

Now, with a goal and seven points in 17 games, going along with his 47 blocks and 27 hits, he’s helped the Oilers outscore their opposition 17-11 at five-on-five in the playoffs. That goes along with a 54.9 percent shot attempt share, 58.9 percent expected goal share, and a stellar 61.9 percent high-danger scoring chance share, and it’s clear how positive his impact has been.

After all, Walman has always dreamed of being in a spot like this.

“This is where I’ve wanted to be. I feel like I’m meant to be here with this group,” he said. “I’ve always wanted to play meaningful games, and you don’t really know if that’s going to come throughout the career. But obviously, I’m really proud to be in this moment right now, and I’m just trying to put my best foot forward and help the group. I think looking back in a couple of months, this will be cool, but right now, I’m just trying to ride the wave and live in the moment.”

Game 2 between the Oilers and Panthers goes Friday night at 6:00 pm MT.