Talented BCHL, Brick tourney alum Erickson, who led Simon Fraser in scoring last season, joins Griffins
Jefferson Hagen
MacEwan Athletics
EDMONTON – When Walker Erickson wrapped up a stellar junior career after his 168th career BCHL game in 2023, MacEwan Griffins head coach Zack Dailey was trying to recruit him.
Instead, the Surrey, B.C. product stayed close to home, joining Simon Fraser University's high-performance non-conference team that competed regularly against NCAA Div. 1 teams for the past three seasons.
After SFU announced it was cancelling its hockey program in February, Erickson and Dailey renewed their conversation and here we are: the talented 6-foot, 185-pound forward will join the Griffins for the 2026-27 Canada West season.
"He's someone I actually tried to recruit out of juniors, and he ended up taking on that opportunity, so it was kind of cool to be able to reconnect with him," said Dailey. "He seems like a great kid. He's experienced and not new to playing against this level. He's played at this level for three seasons.
"The way he plays the game fits our team with how we want to play, so I think it's going to be a very good fit."
He's the second Red Leaf to transfer to MacEwan, joining SFU teammate Jack Franklin. That's not the only familiar face he'll see; Ethan Sundar was his teammate with the Vernon Vipers in 2023.
Going further back, former Griffins forward Spencer McLean was on a Trail Smoke Eaters team that called Erickson up for four games during the 2018-19 season.
Many years ago, he also played in Edmonton as a member of the BC Junior Canucks at the 2012 Brick Invitational tournament.
Erickson will be bringing a strong blend of skill, speed and grit for the Griffins after recording 70 career BCHL points over more than four seasons spent playing for Trail, the Merritt Centennials, Nanaimo Clippers and Vernon.
He then became one of Simon Fraser's top forwards, producing 24 points in 39 career games over the last three seasons, finishing as their leading goal scorer in 2025-26.
"After leading their team in scoring, he's going to be someone we'll expect to help produce," said Dailey. "He's a 200-foot player – he kills penalties, he forechecks hard, he finishes checks, he blocks shots. So, I feel he fits our identity really well and is going to be someone who has a pretty seamless transition because of the way he plays the game."
Erickson's post-secondary experience has been honed playing against NCAA Div. 1 competition, which has worked out well for others who've also done the same and transferred to the Griffins. Two recent examples are Marc Pasemko – who came from Colorado College, and led MacEwan in scoring in 2024-25 – and Merritt Osztyko, an RIT transfer, who led the Griffins in scoring in 2023-24.
"It's worked out quite well for us," said Dailey. "Those guys have been there before, there's no stress of bigger competition because they've seen it already. Some of those top teams that Walker played against have NHL draft picks, so it's good experience to play against them, and it will give him a leg up coming to U SPORTS."
