Nathan Walker to become 1st Australian to play in NHL
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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.