Australia's first and only homegrown NHL player Nathan Walker believes it is just a matter of time before other Aussies make their way to the sport's highest level.
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Back in Australia during the NHL off-season, Walker made an appearance this week at Hunter Ice Skating Stadium, which is hosting four Australian Championships over 11 days, including the under-13s, 15, 18s and open women's age groups.
Having honed his skills in similar tournaments, Walker is only too happy to help inspire the next generation, many of whom share the same dream he once had - reaching North America's National Hockey League.
"When I was a kid, it was such a dream that was so far away - no one has ever done it, can it be done, will it be done? So creating that pathway for not only myself, but hopefully all the other kids who believe they can make it, or play semi-pro, pro in North America or Europe, I think it does show there is a pathway there," Walker said.
Welsh-born Walker, now 30, has played 156 NHL games. The St. Louis Blues forward first picked up a stick while living in Sydney before moving overseas in his teens.
He traversed Europe and then made his way to the North American leagues, drafted to the NHL in 2014. He remains the league's only Australian-raised player.
A flood of Aussies have landed in America's other major sports codes in recent years, particularly the NBA, but ice hockey has proved a tougher road to chart.
The sport is somewhat restricted by the availability of rinks - Australia has 20 - but Walker believes it is only a matter of time before others follow in his footsteps.
"It is a lot easier to play football, basketball and baseball in Australia. So I think that's why it has made it a little bit of an easier pathway in those sports," he said.
"But hockey is definitely getting there. There's a lot of young [Aussie] kids playing in North America and playing over in Europe as well.
"I think in the next 10, 20 years we will definitely see a big influx of Australian hockey players making a name for themselves in the North American or European leagues."
Walker said the quality of the game in Australia had come along "leaps and bounds" since he was a kid.
In the two tournaments that wrapped up on Wednesday, Queensland won the women's division while NSW claimed the under-15s title.
The 13s and 18s continue into the weekend. Ice Hockey Australia general manager Adam Woolnough said Walker was like a "rockstar when he turns up to the rink".
"The only Australian to do it," he said of his NHL career.
"So it can be done, but it takes a lot of hard work ... he wants to give back and be a role model to those kids now."