Storm’s Walker signs AHL contract with Abbotsford

Abbotsford, BC – Abbotsford Canucks General Manager, Ryan Johnson, announced today that the club has signed major junior free agent forward Cooper Walker to a one-year AHL contract through the 2023-24 season.

Walker joins Abbotsford from the Guelph Storm of the Ontario Hockey League.

Walker, 20, spent the entirety of his overage major junior season with Guelph in 2022-23, serving as the team’s captain and ranking third on the team with 21 goals. He reached OHL career highs in all major statistical categories while skating in 66 of the Storm’s 68 regular season games. During the 2023 OHL Playoffs, he ranked second among Guelph players with five points (two goals, three assists) while skating in all six of the team’s postseason games.

The 6-0, 174-pound centre skated in 179 regular season games during his major junior career, all of which he played for Guelph. During his three full seasons with the Storm, he recorded 94 points (38 goals, 56 assists) and 47 penalty minutes while recording six points (two goals, four assists) over 11 postseason games.

A native of Cambridge, Ontario, Cooper Walker is the son of Vancouver Canucks alumni Scott Walker. Scott was originally drafted by Vancouver in 1993 and spent 197 games of his 829-game NHL career with the Canucks as a player. He also served in multiple roles with the Canucks’ coaching and development departments, most recently as assistant coach with Vancouver during the 2021-22 season.