Photo courtesy of Culver Academy

For the second season in a row, University of Denver lacrosse commit, Ethan Walker (Culver Military Academy, Indiana) was named Lacrosse Magazine’s Midwest Region High School Player of the Year. In his senior year, the star attackman tallied an astounding 108 goals and 53 assists in leading his Eagles to a 20-3 finish on the year.

If that alone sounds impressive (it should), consider this: Walker’s senior season was his third straight season notching at least 100 goals in a season.

“I just think he’s a competitor,” Culver coach Jon Posner told LM. “He likes to play on big stages. He likes to play in big games.”

Regardless of the competition, Walker consistently found ways to light up the scoreboard. Even against the country’s top competition, teams that scouted him well and understood his tendencies, he averaged more than five goals per game.

In a close 9-8 Culver victory over the 2015 high school national champions Haverford (Pa.), Walker tallied seven of the Eagles’ nine goals. It didn’t matter what the opposing defense did or what they knew the Canadian star was going to do, Walker kept finding the back of the net.

Producing at such a high level on a stage like that will certainly provide a good foundation for the Pioneer-to-be when he’s routinely looked to for important goals against top 5 NCAA competition. While Denver fans haven’t yet seen him play, his high level of production and ability to take over a game makes you immediately think about Wes Berg. That may be a high bar to set for an incoming freshman, it’s already difficult to avoid making the comparison.

Walker’s high school coach attributes much of his success to his big shot: “It’s fast, it’s hard and it’s accurate,” Posner said. “His shot, by far, is what makes him so special.”

Success at the high school level doesn’t always guarantee success in college, especially playing for one of the best programs in the country. However, the fact that this was Walker’s third straight season with 100 or more goals certainly bodes well for his future as a Pioneer.

Walker will get an early taste of a higher level of competition before looking to make a name for himself in crimson and gold. As a member of Team Canada, he’ll look to claim some championship hardware for The True North at the Under-19 World Championships, which start tomorrow in Coquitlam, British Columbia.

This competition will give Walker an early taste of the high level of competition he will see as a Pioneer when he will almost certainly face the country’s top defenses from Duke, Johns Hopkins, Maryland, Notre Dame, and others.

While he hasn’t yet proven himself under DU head coach Bill Tierney’s tutelage, there is already a lot about Walker that Pioneer lacrosse fans can get excited about. Even though we’re still seven or eight months away from the thick of the 2017 NCAA Lacrosse season, it’s hard to avoid fantasizing about the potential of Walker and Cannizzaro working together to put opposing teams away at Peter Barton Stadium.