Despite his Ontario Hockey League playoff journey coming to a disappointing end earlier this week, a promising Calgary Flames prospect’s season will continue. Tyler Parsons has been reassigned from the OHL’s London Knights to the American Hockey League’s Stockton Heat, presumably to act as the third goaltender as the Heat begin their Calder Cup playoffs this weekend.
Parsons, 20, was Calgary’s second round pick (54th overall) in the 2016 NHL Draft – drafted with the pick the Flames got in the Jiri Hudler trade. A product of the Little Caesars minor hockey program in the Detroit area, he back-stopped the Knights to a Memorial Cup championship last spring and followed it up with a stellar performance in the United States’ gold medal win at the World Juniors this past January. He was recently named as a finalist for the OHL’s Goaltender of the Year award for this season, going 23-6-4 with a 2.37 goals against average, .925 save percentage and four shutouts.
Parsons signed a three year entry-level deal with the Flames in late March. Since his deal doesn’t begin until next fall, he’ll join the Heat on an amateur try-out deal and soak up the atmosphere as the Baby Flames try to march to a Calder Cup championship.
While not yet confirmed, since the move would give the Heat four goaltenders (with David Rittich, Mason McDonald and try-out player Joel Rumpel on the roster) presumably this means that either McDonald will be returned to the ECHL’s Adirondack Thunder for their ongoing playoff run in the near future or that Rumpel will be released from his try-out.
Is Gillies not back with the heat? Confused.
I’m confused too, but I’m guessing that both Rumpel is out and McDonald is bumped. Then Gillies will be sent back down and Parsons will get a preview of pro life.
The Flames just announced today that they have assigned Gillies to Stockton. Not sure if that helps or makes it more confusing?
I guess my confusion was from thinking that Gillies was assigned when Johnson came back. I didn’t know that he was still with the Flames for the final couple of games.
I think that the flames are going to use parsons next year
I hope Tyler Parsons is headed to the Flames if you look at how he held London in this year and his play in the World Juniors this is a goaltender that has nerves of steel and what the Flames need .
Kid has yet to play a game of professional hockey, not going to happen.
Neither did Murray when the Pens brought him in & he wound up almost being MVP & has a Stanley Cup ring. The tried & true vet goaltender hasn’t been working that well, maybe we throw these youngsters in the deep end. Wonder if Parsons or Gilles would have let in a goal like the first one last night.
???? Matt Murray played pro the whole 2014-15 season in the AHL…. 40 games and 8 in the playoffs before splitting the season 31/13 + 21 in 15/16. ????
Murray did have pro experience already. He’s played 72 AHL games. As for the first goal last night? My 7 year old would have been able to save that, so it’s not something to even think about. The issue with Gillies is that he probably would have let in that 2nd goal last night, because his rebound control isn’t quite up to snuff yet.
Pretttyyy. Pretttyyy good.
http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/pdisplay.php?pid=177596
Are Tkachuk and Bennett eligible for Stockton? Don’t think they would want to go, but would give them a few more playoff games and reinforcement for the Heat.
Not eligible