Jake Walman

The emergence of Walman was one of the NHL's most unsung stories a season ago. A former top prospect of the Blues who struggled to carve out a full-time role at the NHL level, he debuted for the Wings in mid-November and played in 63 of 68 games the rest of the way, posting nine goals and nine assists while averaging nearly 20 minutes (19:43) of ice time per game. Impressed by his progress, Detroit handed Walman a three-year, $10.2 million extension this past February. The financial commitment indicates the Wings see Walman as a regular for the club for the foreseeable future, potentially in a middle-pairing role. It's not a fantasy-friendly gig, but it is a testament to the hard work and dedication of the player.

Walman spent most of 2019-20 with AHL San Antonio, where he posted 27 points in 57 contests. He also made his NHL debut against the Golden Knights on January 4. The third-round pick from 2014 faces an uphill battle to make the Blues' Opening Night roster, especially given his lack of experience with the big club. The Blues are deep on defense and likely won't want Walman to waste away in the press box throughout the year, so he'll likely spend most of 2020-21 in the minors. He's still a couple years away from NHL readiness, and fantasy managers will want to see more of him from a scoring standpoint in the minors.

Walman's development with AHL clubs Chicago and Binghamton fell short of expectations, managing just 20 points and a minus-7 in 59 games. The Blues wanted him to bulk up (he checked into 2017-18 training camp at 170 pounds) and he did, measuring in at 202 pounds by the end of the AHL season. Walman's chances at an NHL call-up are more likely now, but it will only be for injury relief as the Blues are returning their top-seven blueliners from last season.

Walman, a 2014 third-round pick (82nd overall) by the Blues, had a breakout season in 2015-16 as a sophomore at Providence University. The Canadian-born Walman led all NCAA defensemen in goals (13), power play goals (8), points per game (1.04) and game-winning goals (4) -- all that in a season shortened to 27 games because of a December shoulder injury. In March 2016, Walman eventually underwent surgery on the injured shoulder from which he was still rehabbing and unavailable to participate in the Blues' prospect camp in July. The left-handed shooter has all the skills that project him as a top-4 defender whose NHL-caliber shot from the point makes him a trigger man for the power play. Now 20, the Blues were hoping Walman would be ready to turn pro, but he lost valuable development time due to the surgery. As such, Walman will return to Providence for his junior year.