Johnny Walker’s freshman season with the Arizona State Sun Devils was one for the record books.
He hit the ground running in Tempe, scoring 17 goals in 2017-2018 to set a new freshman goal-scoring record for the Devils. Walker also added 7 assists, tallying 24 total points which was another record for the young program.
It wasn’t just the scoring that made him so integral to ASU’s early growth, however. It was his panache and willingness to mix it up with anyone that really stood out.
“He’s like a hybrid between a very skilled player and a hard-nosed, grinder kind of a guy,” assistant coach Alex Hicks said. “He brings a little bit of both, and he can bring the ability to score goals, make plays, make his teammates better, and he can also bring the role of a third, fourth line guy that can finish checks, play a little dirty and get in the other team’s face.”
Johnny Walker would go on to set the school records for goals (70) and points (123) and become a fixture as perhaps the most recognizable player from Arizona State’s early years as a Division I hockey program.
He did it all as a local kid who made good on his talent and left an indelible mark on desert hockey.
Arizona State wore these white adidas gamers one final time in the 2017-2018 season, albeit with some small tweaks.
These 2017-2018 sweaters feature a different style numbering from the double-layer twill maroon and gold numbers the school wore previously on their white sets. The numbers on both the black and white jerseys in 2017-2018 were single-layer twill. The black jerseys had all yellow numbers and the white had all maroon numbers.
I don’t have an answer for why they stopped using the pitchfork sublimated/embossed double-layer twill, but I’m assuming it was a cost thing. Those numbers couldn’t have been easy to produce.
Johnny Walker’s jersey has solid wear with several stick and/or puck marks visible on the chest and sleeves. There is one very dark stick mark under the right armpit, as well.
There is one repair near the collar on the front of the jersey.
