The Reign have traded the rights to forward Geoff Walker to the Wheeling Nailers for future considerations.
Walker, 22, was the Reign’s co-leading scorer in the team’s inaugural 2008-09 season, when he scored 48 points (21 goals) in 68 games. He then signed an AHL contract with the Manchester Monarchs prior to last season, and split the year between Manchester and Ontario.
The 6-foot-3 power forward appeared in 37 games for the Kings’ top farm team, tallying five goals and 14 points. Walker had seven goals and 23 points in 26 games with the Reign last season, and was among the steadiest point producers on a team strapped for scoring.
The Reign went 8-8-1-1 to start the season before Walker was promoted to Manchester on Nov. 21, 2009. When he returned to Ontario on March 5, the Reign were 24-25-3-5 and clawing for a playoff spot. With Walker in the lineup, the Reign went 15-14-1-3; without him they were 16-17-2-4.
An affiliate of the NHL’s Pittsburgh Penguins, the Nailers play in Wheeling, West Virginia, about 60 miles southeast of Pittsburgh. They went 33-32-2-5 last season, one of four teams that failed to qualify for the Eastern Conference playoffs.