NCAA Athlete Ethan Walker On Pushing The Boundaries Of A High Performance Lacrosse Career

In my future in lacrosse, it is all about work ethic. You do not get to play at high levels without training and practicing hard every day.

Ethan Walker

Starting Attack

University of Denver Men's Lacrosse

You’ve played lacrosse at different elite levels such as NCAA lacrosse with the University of Denver and on a world scale for Team Canada. What does it mean to you to have had these amazing opportunities and how do you plan on using these experiences to further your career in lacrosse?

I am so very grateful for the opportunities I have received.

Being able to play Division I lacrosse was always a dream of mine and over the last four years, it has truly been an incredible experience. I have been able to develop friendships and bonds with teammates and coaches that will last a lifetime.

On a world scale, for myself personally, there was nothing better than to put on that Team Canada jersey. Being able to represent my country was one of the proudest moments of my life, and being able to share that experience with my parents and brother was even better.

In my future in lacrosse, it is all about work ethic. You do not get to play at high levels without training and practicing hard every day.

As I move forward with my career, it will be important to keep the same work ethic, as well as being humbled by every new opportunity that may arise.   

You were recently drafted 10th overall in the NLL to the Georgia Swarm, an amazing accomplishment and I’m sure a huge career aspiration for you! What are three things you’ve learned as a student-athlete that have prepared you for the professional world?

• Time management is incredibly important. Being able to balance schoolwork and athletics is harder than it looks. With time management, you have to put in the same effort when it comes to both school and lacrosse.
• Teamwork is something that I have always been around. Growing up, all of the sports I played were based around a team atmosphere. No one person can do everything, and the success of the team comes from everyone. In regard to school, I have done many group projects in which each member has to contribute equally for the success of the assignment.
• You have to give 110% in everything. College lacrosse is competitive, and when you have a team of about 50 guys, there is always a fight for positions. You have to be able to play at your best all the time. The same can be said with school, or a professional career. If you are not giving a full effort, most likely you will be replaced by the person who is.

You started out playing lacrosse in Peterborough, Ontario, a city known for curating lacrosse stars and a love for the game. How were you able to apply some of the fundamentals and lessons you learned in the Peterborough lacrosse system to your time playing for the University of Denver men’s team?

Growing up, our family would always go to the Peterborough Senior A. Lakers games, and I always told my parents I wanted to do that when I was older.

Watching those guys play the game of box lacrosse was truly an eye-opener for me, and what made me want to continue with the game of lacrosse.

In the United States, not many players have the opportunity to play box lacrosse, a staple in Canada.

Being able to transfer the fundamentals of my box lacrosse skills to field lacrosse was incredibly important for me and my continued success.  

On top of your personal lacrosse career, you’ve also stepped into the role of Coordinator of Player Development at Top Draft Lacrosse. Tell us a bit about your role, and how you apply what you’ve learned throughout your lacrosse career to your work developing young players.

Top Draft Lacrosse is a relatively new company in which we hold clinics, practices, and hopefully summer travel teams soon.

Our main goal is to train these young athletes so we can help them get to their dreams of playing Division I lacrosse.

We also act as recruiters in the sense that we talk with coaches from boarding schools in the U.S. as well as college coaches and act as a third party to help these kids.

When I was 15, I moved away from home and went to Culver Military Academy in Culver, Indiana. I wish that Top Draft Lacrosse was around then, because it probably would have been a better process and made it easier by offering help.

Within our program, we have coaches who have played at both U.S. boarding schools, along with Division I lacrosse programs, so we already know how stressful the recruiting process can be.

We are trying to be as helpful as we can be for these athletes, as well as their parents and families.

Given your experiences playing lacrosse at different elite levels, what does it mean to you to be able to give back to your lacrosse community by developing young players to reach the next level of their gameplay?

Personally, it is incredibly important.

Helping younger generations of lacrosse players achieve their lacrosse goals is an amazing opportunity.

With all the experiences and opportunities I have had in my life, it is important for me to give back and provide my knowledge of the game to these younger players.