Thanks to reader Dan for discovering this story out of Germany from Sunday indicating that David Walker signed with a team in the Bundesliga, the second-highest league in Germany. The defenseman will be joining the Schwennigen Wild Wings, the defending third-place team in the league.
Walker had a brief stint with the Iserlohn Roosters of the Deutsch Elite League a year ago before returning to Ontario. He went on to lead all Reign blue-liners in points (38) and penalty minutes (108) while playing 69 games in 2010-11.
The captain, who turned 32 on Monday, had been contemplating retirement, but it now appears he’ll be giving Europe another shot this season.
8:27 a.m. update: Walker confirmed he’s leaving for Germany on August 8.
Tomorrow, ECHL teams can begin signing players who were not listed on any of the league’s protected lists. The Reign may be able to bring in a few European players who have been away from North America for a year or two, but any impact players signed tomorrow are more likely to come from colleges and junior leagues across North America.
We’ll learn their names in the coming months.