NEWS PHOTO JAMES TUBB
Medicine Hat Tigers defenceman Rhett Parsons scans the ice after coming from behind his own net in the first period of their 6-1 win over the Brandon Wheat Kings on Nov. 16 at Co-op Place.
jtubb@medicinehatnews.com@ReporterTubb
It doesn’t take long for Rhett Parsons to make other WHL teams aware he’s on the ice each game.
The 6-foot-3 Medicine Hat Tigers defenceman has a presence on both ends of the ice that demands attention from his opponents. If left alone offensively, he excels at keeping the puck in at the point and maintaining poise while straddling the line to make a pass or take a shot.
If his opponents don’t pay attention to where Parsons is in the Tigers’ defensive zone, they soon find out with a thundering body check, as multiple Oil Kings skaters did in Medicine Hat’s 6-1 win Wednesday. When he’s playing a physical game or on the ice in the dying seconds with a lead, that’s when Parsons says he is at his best.
“The coaches always talk about knowing our role and I love to kill penalties, I love to block shots. Then when the game is on the line at the end, I always love being out there,” Parsons said. “Just getting their trust is a huge thing.”
He has quickly become the Tigers go-to guy on a deep back end in any moment of the game, playing a shutdown role alongside Latvian Bogdans Hodass.
Associate coach Joe Frazer says the 19-year-old Cremona, Alta. product sets the tone for his teammates.
“It’s unbelievable to see how far he’s come from when we drafted him until now. He plays big minutes against other teams’ top lines every night, he’s great on the penalty kill and just a mean, physical presence back there,” Frazer said. “Off the ice he is a great leader in the weight room and setting the tone that way. He’s just a crucial part to any success we have because he plays those hard minutes, those tough matchups every night and he’s the first one out on the kill. Those are hard minutes and he does the job.”
Parsons, a 99th overall pick of the Tigers in 2018, made his WHL debut in the 2020-21 season under head coach Willie Desjardins. He says the shutdown role Parsons is in isn’t something he would have imagined for the defenceman when they first drafted him, but credited him for his work ethic.
“You always look at the good leaders or people who have become successful and they’re usually putting in extra time and extra work. Rhett’s done that,” Desjardins said. “He’s a physical presence and that’s a hard role to take and he’s overcome some concerns he had at one time and he’s worked. He wants to be a player, he wants to make a difference for this team, and because of that he’s overcome some hurdles to make that a challenge.”
He’s working his way toward a career high point total, with a goal and 10 points in 22 games entering play Friday night in Red Deer. Parsons says his focus in the offseason was his two-way game and being effective on both sides of the puck.
“The start I’m having that just translates and I need to play a big defensive game, and when the game’s on the line at the end, just be there for my teammates and block shots,” Parsons said.
Forward Andrew Basha says the Tigers appreciate every night that Parsons is wearing orange and black.
“We’re all happy we don’t have to play against Pars, he’s such a force out there,” Basha said. “He’s playing a lot better offensively too this year, so he’s bringing a lot to the table for our team. It’s nice having a guy like that out there with us and knowing he always has our back. He’s just really important for our team.”
