CANBERRA, Oct. 9 (Xinhua) -- Nathan Walker has become the first-ever Australian to play in the North American National Hockey League (NHL), the world's premier ice hockey competition.
Walker, 23, made his debut for the Washington Capitals on Sunday, scoring a goal after coming off the bench in the second period in his team's 6-1 win against the Montreal Canadiens.
"I'm just happy to be out there playing hockey, especially with these guys out here, it's a dream come true," Walker told reporters after the game.
Walker, who plays as a forward, was born in Wales before his family moved to Australia when he was two years old.
In 2007, at the age of 13, he moved to the Czech Republic on his own to play hockey after proving to be too good for Australian competition.
His brother Ryan introduced him to the sport and on Sunday said Nathan had shown the drive to make the NHL from a young age.
"His pure determination has gotten him where he is today," Ryan said before the game.
"I knew he was different when he was two minutes old, he was a pocket rocket of a kid, just so much energy and did everything to keep up, I'm seven years older and he kept up with us."
After moving to the U.S. from the Czech Republic, Walker played for the Hershey Bears, an NHL feeder team, before being drafted by the Capitals in the third round of the 2014 draft.
Wayne Walker, Nathan's father, said he always believed his son would make the top level.
"The determination within the kid, it's tremendous," Wayne said.
"He seems to go for every goal he sets himself, and now he's got to one of his final goals and I know personally he's set himself another."
