Nathan Walker to become 1st Australian to play in NHL

Saturday nights are for hockey and grilling shrimp on the barbie.

That will be the case for Washington Capitals prospect Nathan Walker, the U.K.-born and Australia-raised winger who will make his NHL debut Saturday against the Montreal Canadiens.

Walker - who will become the first Aussie to play in the NHL - spent last season with the AHL's Hershey Bears, where he posted 23 points in 58 games. He last played in Australia in 2010-11, when he spent three games with the Sydney Ice Dogs of the Australian Ice Hockey League.

Walker, 23, joins a growing list of NHLers who hail from non-traditional markets, including Toronto Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews, a product of Scottsdale, Ariz.