The Savannah Ghost Pirates recently announced that they have signed forward Liam Walsh to an ECHL deal for the upcoming season. Last year was the 26-year-old’s first professional season, and he was one of only four Ghost Pirates players to appear in all 72 games (Paliani, Drevitch, Granowicz). In his 72 games, Walsh contributed 27 points to the Savannah lineup, with 13 of those being goals. The Pennsylvania native had the honor of being named the Ghost Pirates’ first-ever rookie of the year. When announced as Rookie of the Year, it was noted how vital he was to the team’s top-notch penalty kill. It is obvious that Walsh enjoys feeding off the energy of the fans in Savannah, as he said recently, “Playing in front of them is extremely special and something I do not take for granted. I am so excited to see Enmarket [Arena] rocking again this season.” You will likely see Walsh energize the crowd next season as a key contributor on the PK.
Learning to Lead
Prior to joining Savannah, the 26-year-old spent time in the NCAA and USHL. Walsh spent 4 seasons in the USHL with the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders. During his time in Cedar Rapids, the forward appeared in 183 games, scoring 40 goals and adding 34 assists. In his final year with the RoughRiders, Walsh was named captain. His leadership showed in the locker room as well as the scoresheet when he led the team to the playoffs, and had his best statistical year with 25 goals and 19 assists. The trend of leadership continued for Walsh into college when he got to wear the A for both Merrimack College and Northeastern University. His time at the NCAA level was also very productive, with Walsh scoring 31 goals and adding 37 assists for 68 total points in his 140 NCAA games.
Sailing into Savannah
Walsh has completed his first full season in Savannah, earning a reputation as a guy who is well-respected and a guy the coaching staff can rely on. Ghost Pirates Head Coach Jared Staal had some high compliments for the rookie when he said, “Walshy was given a lot as a first-year centerman due to the circumstances, but I thought he did a great job. The value of those reps that he got is going to be huge going into year two. He’s a player that can play up and down the lineup, but his identity of being a tough player to play against is only going to grow with time.” The Savannah head coach is clearly very eager to continue to develop Walsh into an all-around player for the Ghost Pirates. Throughout his hockey career, Walsh has displayed incredible talent and leadership, and I would expect that the coaching staff in Savannah will continue to grow his game. Next year, fans can look forward to the forward hopefully taking a major step forward as he has at every level so far.
ITR 47: Then There Was Nothing – Inside The Rink
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