Sean
Walker
D · CAR · Two-way · Excellent
- PAL
- 86
- WAR
- 1.5
- Value
- 85
- PTS
- 31
2025-26№ 38 / 325
Sean Walker (Carolina Hurricanes) stats and profile: offensive production, ice time, advanced stats, WAR and PAL rating.
Sean Walker
HEIGHT : 180 cm · WEIGHT : 87 kg · SHOOTS : R
Born : November 12, 1994 · Keswick, Canada
Contract : $3,600,000 · 2024-25 → 2028-29 · Standard Contract · UFA · Signing bonus $1,000,000M-NTC
NHL record
| Year | Team | GP | G | A | PTS | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-27 | Carolina Hurricanes | 19 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 18 |
| 2025-26 | Carolina Hurricanes | 81 | 9 | 22 | 31 | 59 |
| 2024-25 | Carolina Hurricanes | 82 | 5 | 11 | 16 | 46 |
| 2023-24 | Colorado Avalanche | 18 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 16 |
| 2023-24 | Philadelphia Flyers | 63 | 6 | 16 | 22 | 34 |
| 2022-23 | Los Angeles Kings | 70 | 3 | 10 | 13 | 36 |
| 2021-22 | Los Angeles Kings | 6 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| 2020-21 | Los Angeles Kings | 47 | 5 | 13 | 18 | 18 |
| 2019-20 | Los Angeles Kings | 70 | 5 | 19 | 24 | 26 |
| 2018-19 | Los Angeles Kings | 39 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 8 |
| NHL totals | 495 | 43 | 110 | 153 | 265 | |
Playoffs
| Year | Team | GP | G | A | PTS | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | Carolina Hurricanes | 19 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 16 |
| 2024-25 | Carolina Hurricanes | 12 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 |
| 2023-24 | Colorado Avalanche | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| 2022-23 | Los Angeles Kings | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Playoff totals | 44 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 24 | |
Honours
- 🏆 Stanley Cuponce · 2025-26
Sean Walker: our analysis
2025-26 season: 81 GP, 9 G, 22 A, 31 PTS, +6 +/-, 21:49 TOI. WAR 1.5 (38th of 325) · PAL 86, excellent.
In 2025-26, Sean Walker, 31, posts a PAL Rating of 86 out of 100 (excellent), and his WAR of 1.5 ranks 38th among 325 regulars, in the top quarter.
His strengths: possession (97, among the best in the league), creation (92, among the best in the league) and penalty kill (83, well above average). On the other hand, power play (18, well below average) and discipline (30, below average) hold him back.
Breaking down his WAR (goals above average), his biggest contribution: EV offense (+4.4); his biggest cost: penalties (-2.2).
A clear step forward: his PAL went from 72 in 2024-25 to 86; his WAR went from 0.2 to 1.5.
Contract-wise, his Value score of 85 (very good contract) weighs his output against what he costs: 50 is what that salary should buy.
Sean Walker's story
Growing up in Keswick, Ontario, Sean Walker learned his hockey in local minor programs, skating for Georgina Blaze AA before moving up to York Simcoe Express AAA. The 2011–12 season found him with the Georgina Ice and briefly called up for five games by the Newmarket Hurricanes; a full campaign in Newmarket followed, where he tallied 24 points in 53 games and committed to play NCAA hockey at Bowling Green.
At Bowling Green State University, Walker made an immediate impact, appearing in 38 games as a freshman and finishing second among rookies with 13 points while helping the Falcons reach the 2014 WCHA tournament. His second season featured a full 39-game slate and a +10 rating, earning him the team’s Jim Ruehl Best Defensive Player award. Named captain in October 2015, he wore the letter through his junior and senior seasons and was selected twice to the All-WCHA Second Team before turning pro.
Walker began his professional career with the Ontario Reign in the AHL, making the 2017–18 opening-night roster and recording his first pro point on October 27, 2017; he finished that year with 28 points in 64 games. After one AHL season he signed a two-year entry-level contract with the Los Angeles Kings on July 3, 2018. He made his NHL debut on October 23, 2018, against the Dallas Stars and posted his first NHL point that night; his first NHL goal came December 31, 2018, versus Colorado. He was also selected to the AHL All-Star Classic in January 2019.
Walker earned a regular spot with the Kings in 2019–20, skating 70 games and producing 24 points, and received a four-year contract extension on September 11, 2020. On June 6, 2023, Los Angeles traded him to the Philadelphia Flyers as part of a three-team deal. During the 2023–24 season he set new offensive marks for himself with the Flyers before being traded to the Colorado Avalanche on March 6, 2024; he registered seven points in 18 regular-season games with Colorado and finished the year with combined highs of 10 goals and 29 points over 81 games, then played 11 playoff games in a bottom-pairing role.
As a free agent he signed a five-year contract with the Carolina Hurricanes on July 1, 2024, and went on to win the Stanley Cup with Carolina in 2026. Walker’s game is built around steady defensive play from the blue line, coupled with a willingness to chip in offensively.
Facts drawn from Wikipédia, told in our own words.
Advanced stats
- TOI/GP
- 21:00
- PP TOI/GP
- 0:32
- SH TOI/GP
- 2:02
- Pts/GP
- 0.53
- EV points
- 7
- Hits
- 23
- Blocks
- 41
- Takeaways
- 10
- Corsi % (SAT)
- 59.1 %
- Off. zone starts
- 36.4 %
Stats and photos: NHL (NHL.com)
2026-27 projection
Projected points
35between 21 and 47 (80% range)
- Goals
- 10
- Assists
- 25
- Games
- 83
So far: 10 pts in 19 games. The team has played 19 of 84 games. Projected pace: 0.39 pts per game (last season: 0.38).
The projection follows last season's pace. Tested on 2,265 player seasons (2022-23 to 2025-26): average miss of 9 points over 82 games; for players at 0.9 points per game and up, it ran 5 points high on average.
Trend
Slightly up
- Points per game: 0.36 in 23-24, 0.38 in 25-26
- PAL Rating: 72 → 86
Outlook, age included
→ StableAge 31: the age when production usually declines
This is only a projection. It knows nothing about injuries, trades or role changes; one player in five finishes outside the range.
Player ratings, 2025-26
All ratings →Fourteen ratings from 0 to 100 drawn from data, never by hand: 75 = established NHL player, 95+ = elite.
OV · OverallConfidence 85 %
85
High-end
- SK
- Skating
- 88
- Confidence 73 %
- ST
- Strength
- 75
- Confidence 87 %
- EN
- Endurance
- 76
- Confidence 80 %
- DU
- Durability
- 83
- Confidence 77 %
- CK
- Checking
- 82
- Confidence 87 %
- FG
- Fighting
- 72
- Confidence 66 %
- DI
- Discipline
- 61
- Confidence 87 %
- FO
- Faceoffs
- —
- PA
- Passing
- 76
- Confidence 85 %
- SC
- Scoring
- 82
- Confidence 85 %
- DF
- Defense
- 81
- Confidence 82 %
- PS
- Penalty shot
- 76
- Confidence 0 %
- EX
- Experience
- 82
- Confidence 100 %
Why these ratings?Hide details
SK — Skating88
- Top speed (35 %)36.2 · 84
- Bursts > 20 mph /60 (30 %)3.769 · 89
- Distance /60 (20 %)14.4 · 79
- Speed consistency (15 %)35.3 · 85
ST — Strength75
- Contact absorbed /60 (50 %)6.519 · 86
- Body mass (50 %)-0.742 · 62
EN — Endurance76
- Ice time per game (45 %)19.1 · 76
- Total ice time (20 %)1,713 · 85
- Shift length (15 %)46.6 · 72
- Lowest recent ice time per game (15 %)15.2 · 63
- Special-teams time per game (5 %)2.265 · 74
DU — Durability83
- Share of games played (100 %)0.866 · 83
CK — Checking82
- Hits /60 (70 %)4.47 · 81
- Lowest seasonal rate (20 %)3.811 · 81
- Season volume (10 %)4.956 · 89
FG — Fighting72
- Fights per 82 games (100 %)0.778 · 72
DI — Discipline61
- Net penalty value /60 (50 %)-0.081 · 61
- Penalties taken /60 (30 %)0.897 · 62
- Penalties drawn /60 (20 %)0.421 · 77
PA — Passing76
- Primary assists /60 (40 %)0.347 · 73
- Secondary assists /60 (20 %)0.385 · 73
- Offensive creation (RAPM) (20 %)0.158 · 88
- Power-play points /60 (10 %)2.802 · 46
- Assist consistency (10 %)0.275 · 78
SC — Scoring82
- Goals /60 (25 %)0.293 · 81
- Individual xG /60 (20 %)0.303 · 87
- Finishing (goals − xG per shot) (20 %)-0.032 · 63
- High-danger chances /60 (15 %)0.142 · 80
- xG per shot (10 %)0.035 · 79
- Shot attempts /60 (10 %)14.3 · 90
DF — Defense81
- RAPM defense /60 (35 %)0.031 · 76
- Relative xG against (20 %)-0.084 · 80
- On-ice xG against /60 (15 %)2.447 · 85
- Penalty kill /60 (10 %)0.106 · 83
- Takeaways − giveaways /60 (10 %)-1.576 · 84
- Shot attempts against /60 (5 %)56.3 · 83
- Blocked shots /60 (5 %)4.557 · 76
PS — Penalty shot76
- Shootouts (60 %)32.7 · 76
- Penalty shots (40 %)26.7 · 76
EX — Experience82
- Career regular-season games (65 %)87
- Career playoff games (25 %)72
- NHL seasons (10 %)75
OV — Overall85
- DF · Defense (30 %)81
- PA · Passing (22 %)76
- SK · Skating (12 %)88
- SC · Scoring (12 %)82
- EN · Endurance (9 %)76
- ST · Strength (6 %)75
- DI · Discipline (5 %)61
- CK · Checking (4 %)82
| Season | OV | SK | SC | DF |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | 85 | 88 | 82 | 81 |
| 2024-25 | 81 | 89 | 85 | 77 |
| 2023-24 | 79 | 87 | 84 | 73 |
| 2022-23 | 71 | 78 | 77 | 70 |
The bars show confidence (sample size), not player quality. — : not enough data, not a zero. Engine version 1.0.
WAR and PAL ratings, 2025-26
How we rate →PAL Rating scores performance from 0 to 100 against players at the same position (50 = average player), starting from the player's strength, offensive or defensive. Value Rating compares that performance with what the player costs: 50 means paid what the play is worth.
WAR
1.5
wins above replacement
38 of 325
PAL Rating
86/ 100
Performance · Excellent
32 of 250 at the position
Value Rating
85/ 100
Very good contract
3.60 M$ · expected PAL 60
ProfileTwo-wayStrong at both ends
- Offense
- 83
- Defense
- 88
See full detailsHide details
- Offense
- 66
- Creation
- 92
- Shooting
- 79
- Possession
- 97
- Defense
- 79
- Discipline
- 30
- Power play
- 18
- Penalty kill
- 83
From 0 to 100; 50 is the average player at the same position, adjusted for ice time.
| Season | Team | WAR | PAL | Value | Cap hit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | CAR | 1.5 | 86 | 85 | 3.60 M$ |
| 2024-25 | CAR | 0.2 | 72 | 60 | 3.60 M$ |
| 2023-24 | COL | 1.3 | 78 | 72 | 2.65 M$ |
| 2022-23 | LAK | -0.4 | 34 | 24 | 2.65 M$ |
Hockey IQ, 2025-26
Rankings and method →The quality of the player's decisions with and against the puck at 5-on-5, against regulars at the same position (50 = average). PAL measures output; IQ measures how the player plays.
Overall IQ
71/ 100
Very good
better than 71% of defensemen, offense and defense combined
Offensive IQ
48/ 100
Average
passing, shots, puck
Defensive IQ
79/ 100
Very good
takeaways, discipline, own zone
Overall IQ isn't an average of the two scores: it's the player's rank with offense and defense combined, 65 of 225 defensemen.
See full detailsHide details
Offense
- Playmaking passes
- 34
- Shot selection
- 52
- Penalties drawn
- 61
- Puck management
- 52
Defense
- Takeaways
- 87
- Discipline
- 17
- Safe zone exits
- 99
Percentiles: 80 means better than 80% of regulars at the same position. Play without the puck (positioning, coverage) isn't measured: the NHL doesn't publish that data.
| Season | Team | IQ | Off. | Def. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | CAR | 71 | 48 | 79 |
| 2024-25 | CAR | 95 | 90 | 85 |
| 2023-24 | COL | 77 | 65 | 74 |
| 2022-23 | LAK | 39 | 76 | 19 |
WAR, 2025-26
How it's calculated →Wins added to the team, compared with a replacement-level player called up from the AHL.
1.5
wins above replacement
0.4 to 2.6 — 90% interval
38 of 325 defensemen
+8.1 goals above replacement
Full leaderboard →See full detailsHide details
- EV offense
- +4.4
- EV defense
- +2.0
- Power play
- +0.1
- Penalty kill
- +0.5
- Shooting
- -0.4
- Penalties
- -2.2
- Average → replacement
- +3.6
In goals.
| Season | Team | GP | WAR | 90% interval | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | CAR | 81 | 1.5 | 0.4 to 2.6 | 38/325 |
| 2024-25 | CAR | 78 | 0.2 | -0.4 to 0.9 | 146/314 |
| 2023-24 | COL | 81 | 1.3 | -0.2 to 3.0 | 33/316 |
| 2022-23 | LAK | 70 | -0.4 | -1.2 to 0.4 | 279/334 |
Player tracking (NHL EDGE)
League EDGE leaderboards →Speed, shot power, distance covered, time by zone: measured by chips in the puck and shoulder pads. 90th percentile = better than 90% of players.
- Hardest shot
- 139.0 km/h43rd percentileleague avg. 139.7 km/h
- Top skating speed
- 35.2 km/h78th percentileleague avg. 34.0 km/h
- Bursts over 20 mph, season
- 2495th percentileleague avg. 8
- Offensive zone time
- 44.5 %86th percentileleague avg. 42.4 %
See full detailsHide details
- Total distance, season
- 90.4 km90th percentileleague avg. 56.1 km
- Distance, single-game high
- 5.73 km78th percentileleague avg. 4.98 km
- Offensive zone at 5v5
- 45.2 %94th percentileleague avg. 42.8 %
- Neutral zone time
- 18.8 %83rd percentileleague avg. 16.9 %
- Defensive zone time
- 36.7 %90th percentileleague avg. 40.8 %
Shooting
| Shots on goal | Goals | Shooting % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| All | 3895th percentile | 395th percentile | 7.9 %62nd percentile |
| High danger | 287th percentile | 198th percentile | 50.0 %91st percentile |
| Mid range | 1296th percentile | 190th percentile | 8.3 %55th percentile |
| Long range | 1384th percentile | 195th percentile | 7.7 %83rd percentile |
Shots on goal by zone
2026-2027 regular season. Measured by puck and player tracking chips; the percentile ranks the player within the league.
Game log, 2026-27
CHI
NYI
NSH
WPG
CBJ
BOS
STL
EDM
VAN
CGY
WSH
PHI
MTL
FLASean Walker: frequently asked questions
How many goals does Sean Walker have in 2026-27?
Sean Walker has 3 goals and 10 points (7 assists) in 19 games in 2026-27.
How old is Sean Walker?
Sean Walker is 31 years old: he was born on November 13, 1994.
How tall is Sean Walker, and how much does he weigh?
Sean Walker is 5'11" (180 cm) and weighs 192 lb (87 kg).
Where is Sean Walker from?
Canada: Sean Walker was born in Keswick, Ontario, Canada.
What team does Sean Walker play for?
Sean Walker plays for the Carolina Hurricanes in the NHL, at D, wearing number 26.
Is Sean Walker injured?
No: Sean Walker is not on the latest NHL injury report. This answer is updated throughout the season.
How good is Sean Walker?
Sean Walker produced 1.5 wins above replacement (WAR) in 2025-26, 38th of 325 players at his position in the NHL. His PAL rating is 86 out of 100: excellent for his position.
How much does Sean Walker make?
Sean Walker earns $3.6M for the 2025-26 season. His Value Rating is 85 out of 100 (very good contract): it measures the on-field return for that salary, compared with players at his position.
When does Sean Walker's contract end?
Sean Walker's contract runs through the 2028-29 season; he will then be an unrestricted free agent. It includes a M-NTC clause.
Is Sean Walker overpaid?
No, he gives more than he costs. His Value rating is 85 out of 100 (very good contract), where 50 is the output expected for his salary, compared with players at his position.
Is Sean Walker a top-10 player at his position?
No: by WAR, he ranks 38th of 325 players at his position in the NHL in 2025-26. Our comparison tool puts him side by side with any other player.
Is Sean Walker getting better?
Yes: his PAL rating went from 72 in 2024-25 to 86 in 2025-26 (out of 100, 50 = average player at his position).
How has Sean Walker played lately?
Over his last 10 games, Sean Walker has 4 points (3 goals, 1 assist).
What are Sean Walker's career stats?
Over his NHL career, Sean Walker has 495 games, 43 goals, 110 assists and 153 points. His best season: 2025-26, with 31 points in 81 games.
Is Sean Walker better at home or on the road?
At home: in 2026-27, he averages 1.00 points per game at home (8 in 8 games) and 0.18 on the road (2 in 11 games).
How does Sean Walker perform in the playoffs?
In the playoffs, Sean Walker has 44 games and 6 points in his career. His pace (0.14 points per game) is lower than his regular-season pace (0.31).
Which player is most similar to Sean Walker?
Mattias Ekholm: he is the player at his position whose PAL profile (the 0-to-100 dimensions) is closest to his in 2025-26.
Mattias Ekholm's page →Is Sean Walker a good fantasy pick?
Probably not, except in deep leagues: our projection has him at 35 points in 2026-27, or 0.42 points per game.
What is Sean Walker's nationality?
Sean Walker is Canadian.
What awards has Sean Walker won?
Jim Ruehl Best Defensive Player award (awarded at the end of his sophomore season at Bowling Green) ; Named to the All-WCHA Second Team (at the conclusion of his junior year) ; Named to the All-WCHA Second Team (second time, at the conclusion of his senior year) ; Selected to the Pacific Division All-Stars for the American Hockey League All-Star Classic (2019).
How many championships has Sean Walker won?
1: Stanley Cup with the Carolina Hurricanes (2026).
Where did Sean Walker play before turning pro?
Minor and junior career: Georgina Blaze AA (Keswick, Ontario), York Simcoe Express AAA (Eastern AAA Hockey League), Georgina Ice (2011–12 season), called up for five games by the Newmarket Hurricanes; then played one full season with the Newmarket Hurricanes; College: Bowling Green State University (college ice hockey).
How many points is Sean Walker projected to score in 2026-27?
Our projection has him at 35 points in 83 games in 2026-27 (21 to 47 points, 80% interval), based on his recent seasons, age and role.
See also: his Carolina Hurricanes teammates
Full roster →
NHL.com ↗ · Stats and photos: NHL (NHL.com)