Wes Walz

Wes Walz
Born	(1970-05-17) May 17, 1970 Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Height	5 ft 11 in (180 cm)
Weight	190 lb (86 kg; 13 st 8 lb)
Position	Centre
Shot	Right
Played for	Boston Bruins Philadelphia Flyers Calgary Flames Detroit Red Wings EV Zug HC Lugano Minnesota Wild
National team	Canada
NHL draft	57th overall, 1989 Boston Bruins
Playing career	1990–2007
Coaching career	2008–2017

Wes Walz (born May 15, 1970) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre and coach. During his career, he was captain of the Minnesota Wild. He also played for the Boston Bruins, Philadelphia Flyers, Calgary Flames, and Detroit Red Wings. Walz had 260 points (109 goals, 151 assists), 343 penalty minutes, and earned 40 career multi-point games.

Playing career

Walz was drafted 57th overall by the Boston Bruins in the 1989 NHL entry draft. At the time, he was playing for the Lethbridge Hurricanes of the Western Hockey League (WHL), a team for which he played two seasons, playing 119 games and scoring 83 goals and 161 assists for 244 points. For the next seven seasons, Walz played in the secondary American Hockey League (AHL). He averaged over one point per game in the AHL and was named MVP of the 1996 AHL All-Star Game. Walz scored his first NHL goal on February 20, 1990, in Boston's 5-3 win at Calgary. He scored a career-high 38 points in 53 games for the Calgary Flames in 1993–94, but in 1996, he left North America to play in Switzerland's National League A (NLA).

After four seasons in Switzerland, Walz returned to the NHL, signing a contract with expansion franchise Minnesota Wild. During training camp for the Wild, Wild Head Coach Jacques Lemaire dubbed Walz his designated checker, placing him on the checking line. This was a turning point in Walz's career. In his first season back, Walz played all 82 regular season games, scoring 18 goals, 7 of which were shorthanded. When the Wild made the playoffs in 2003, Walz played a significant role in helping the team get to the Western Conference Finals, scoring 7 goals and 6 assists in 18 games.

On December 1, 2007, the Wild held a press conference during which Walz announced his retirement. Walz retired as the franchise's leader in all-time games played at that time.

Coaching career

In June 2008, Walz signed a three-year contract to become an assistant coach with the Tampa Bay Lightning, under Head Coach Barry Melrose. Though Melrose was fired only 16 games into his tenure with the Lightning, Walz was retained as a member of the coaching staff under new Head Coach Rick Tocchet. During his tenure in Tampa Bay, Tocchet asked Walz to personally tutor first overall draft pick Steven Stamkos. In an interview, Stamkos told the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, "It was pretty special that he took the time to work with me and make me a better player, and I'm thankful for it."

In February 2010, Lightning general manager Brian Lawton informed Walz he was being replaced by Jim Johnson, then Head Coach of the Lightning's AHL affiliate, the Norfolk Admirals. In turn, Lawton offered Walz the opportunity to take Johnson's place as Head Coach of the Admirals. When Walz declined due to family reasons, Lawton dismissed him from the organization. Later, it was revealed Lawton made the change without consulting Tocchet.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1987–88	Prince Albert Raiders	WHL		1	1	1	2	0		—	—	—	—	—
1988–89	Lethbridge Hurricanes	WHL		63	29	75	104	32		8	1	5	6	6
1989–90	Boston Bruins	NHL		2	1	1	2	0		—	—	—	—	—
1989–90	Lethbridge Hurricanes	WHL		56	54	86	140	69		19	13	24	37	33
1990–91	Boston Bruins	NHL		56	8	8	16	32		2	0	0	0	0
1990–91	Maine Mariners	AHL		20	8	12	20	19		2	0	0	0	21
1991–92	Boston Bruins	NHL		15	0	3	3	12		—	—	—	—	—
1991–92	Philadelphia Flyers	NHL		2	1	0	1	0		—	—	—	—	—
1991–92	Maine Mariners	AHL		21	13	11	24	38		—	—	—	—	—
1991–92	Hershey Bears	AHL		41	13	28	41	37		6	1	2	3	0
1992–93	Hershey Bears	AHL		78	35	45	80	106		—	—	—	—	—
1993–94	Calgary Flames	NHL		53	11	27	38	16		6	3	0	3	2
1993–94	Saint John Flames	AHL		15	6	6	12	14		—	—	—	—	—
1994–95	Calgary Flames	NHL		39	6	12	18	11		1	0	0	0	0
1995–96	Detroit Red Wings	NHL		2	0	0	0	0		—	—	—	—	—
1995–96	Adirondack Red Wings	AHL		38	20	35	55	58		—	—	—	—	—
1996–97	EV Zug	NLA		41	24	22	46	67		—	—	—	—	—
1997–98	EV Zug	NLA		38	18	34	52	32		—	—	—	—	—
1998–99	EV Zug	NLA		42	22	27	49	75		—	—	—	—	—
1999–00	HC Lugano	NLA		13	7	11	18	14		—	—	—	—	—
1999–00	Long Beach Ice Dogs	IHL		6	4	3	7	8		—	—	—	—	—
2000–01	Minnesota Wild	NHL		82	18	12	30	37		—	—	—	—	—
2001–02	Minnesota Wild	NHL		64	10	20	30	43		—	—	—	—	—
2002–03	Minnesota Wild	NHL		80	13	19	32	63		18	7	6	13	14
2003–04	Minnesota Wild	NHL		57	12	13	25	32		—	—	—	—	—
2005–06	Minnesota Wild	NHL		82	19	18	37	61		—	—	—	—	—
2006–07	Minnesota Wild	NHL		62	9	15	24	30		5	0	1	1	4
2007–08	Minnesota Wild	NHL		11	1	3	4	6		—	—	—	—	—
NHL totals				607	109	151	260	343		32	10	7	17	20

Personal life

Since 2023, Walz has worked as a sports analyst on Fox Sports North for the Minnesota Wild. He and his wife Kerry-Anne have five children together.

Walz volunteered as Head Coach with the Raptors of East Ridge High School in Woodbury, Minnesota. There he coached his son, Kelvin, on the boys Varsity ice hockey team, and a few years later he coached his daughter, Jaedyn, on the girls Varsity hockey team. In 2017, after 3 years of coaching Walz resigns from East Ridge citing he wanted to spend more time with his family at home.

Awards

• WHL East First All-Star Team – 1990

External links

• Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or Hockey-Reference.com, or The Internet Hockey Database