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Parker Bell developed his 200 foot and physical game in his rookie season with the Wranglers
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Photo credit: Terence Leung/Calgary Wranglers
Paige Siewert
Jul 24, 2025, 12:00 EDTUpdated: Jul 23, 2025, 22:57 EDT
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Parker Bell played his first professional season with the Calgary Wranglers last season and as time went on, the growth in his game was starting to show. He was effective in creative ways when he wasn’t scoring and worked alongside a lot of veteran players over the course of the season. He was also one of the prospects that took some tips from Alex Gallant and embraced a more physical style of play in the back half of the season.  
Bell was drafted by the Calgary Flames in the 2022 NHL Draft, going 155th overall in the fifth round. He is one of the tallest Wranglers (especially with Adam Klapka graduating to the Flames) at 6’5”. 
Bell played his Junior Career with the Tri-City Americans and went back-to-back seasons with 64 points before making his professional debut with the Wranglers in the 2023-24 season. He got a two game preview at the end of the year and did not put up any points. He did not make the lineup for any of the post-season games that season.

2024-25 expectations

Parker Bell’s professional experience was quite limited going into the 2024-25 season. The expectation for him was to ease into it, learn the ropes and figure out where he landed talent-wise compared to his teammates. Bell wasn’t a name being thrown around for an NHL debut this season but he was still a well enough known name to follow along with at the AHL level. He had the skillset that made him seem like an lineup option nearly every night, so this season appeared to be a good whole year of learning. 

2024-25 results

Bell did transition into this league well and as time went on, he did figure out what kind of game he’d like to lean into. It seemed at first, he was going for a sniper mentality to try and make a run for more playing time but did also put a lot of pressure on himself. At this level in the Flames organization, it seems the AHL guys need to light it up from the get-to to even get a second look and Bell likely felt some of this need to produce and produce consistently. 
Bell finished the season with 61 games played and a total of 12 points consisting of seven goals and five assists. His first professional goal came on Oct. 22 against the Bakersfield Condors and his season high was two goals against the Manitoba Moose on Nov. 29. His consistency wasn’t quite there for this first season but his opportunities were quite limited in big game scenarios, power play and overtime chances. 
His last game of the season was on Apr. 12, where he was punched square in the face and taken down in a fight that appeared to have caused a minor head injury. He was benched the rest of the season and into playoffs as a precaution. 
When Parker Bell spoke to the media at Wranglers exit meetings about his rookie season, he talked about continuing to develop that physical style of play, saying:
“I think coming from junior, I had to adjust a little bit. You become more of a 200-foot player, and more defensive and hard to play against. I think adding that to my game will help me next year.”
Bell continued:
“From September to now is a big difference for me. I think I’ve improved and I think you come back just a little more confident.”

Next season’s expectations

Parker Bell has some work to do on positioning and speed this summer but if he comes into the Fall able to play more into his size, he could elevate his spot in the Wranglers lineup to take the next step in his game. The most important part is that he’s had enough time away from the game to fully recover, then set his sights on year two of his contract. 
He’s in a group of sink or swim prospects in the AHL that have their young age and early career time on their side but a three year ELC flies by. The end of it doesn’t mean the end of your development, but if that club is not seeing what they’d like to, you’re not going to stick around much longer beyond that. This upcoming season will be a big test and opportunity for Bell.

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