Rookie defensemen Cole Walker is this week's Strathmore Motor Products King of the Week!

In his first season with the Kings, Walker is already looking to make a big impact, especially when it comes to backing up the rest of his team.

A highlight for Walker has been doing just doing that, “I would have to say making probably stretch passes to my forwards.  Getting those breakaway goals, there have been a couple of good ones this year, so gotta keep that up.”

Planning that strategy with teammates each game does keep the other teams guessing, “It feels pretty great when it works and especially when they score.”

Last weekend, the Kings took to the ice three times winning two games against some tough competition. The highlights for Walker was the team's OT win against the Medicine Hat Cubs, one of the top-seeded teams in their league.

“All the boys were fired up, it was a big weekend for us and it just shows no matter who's in the standings, who the players are on the other teams, we can compete with any team in this league, we just put the hard work and effort in that we need to need to do and we can come back with the win.”

Walker is from Strathmore and remembers fondly being the kid in the stands waiting for the high five from the players and wondering what it could be like to be on the team one day.

That memory drives him to make sure he takes the time at every home game to interact with the fans, find those kids in the stands, and make sure they have the same experience he did growing up.

The energy from the crowd is something that every player thrives on and Walker can feel that on the bench especially in the tough games, “The fans, they pump us up on every goal, they're screaming, cheering, all the kids give us high fives to the glass so it's it's a different feeling at the home games rather than away games so it really gets us all fired up.”

Walker explained that the team goes to each away game knowing they represent a great community and they want to make the hometown fans proud to cheer them on each week, “Our town always has our back. It doesn't matter where we are we always have support from our fans so it's an awesome feeling.”

The team is looking to hold onto that momentum coming into this weekend when the puck drops on Friday night against the High River Flyers. The next home game for the Kings is Saturday night game time 8 pm against the Kanai Junior Braves.