Tyler Parsons is headed to the Stockton Heat

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.