NEWS FILE PHOTO
Medicine Hat Tigers graduate defenceman Rhett Parsons has signed an AHL deal with the Toronto Marlies after four years in the orange and black.
jtubb@medicinehatnews.com@ReporterTubb
Rhett Parsons is far from his home in Cremona, Alta.
The long-time Medicine Hat Tigers defenceman has signed a two-year, AHL contract with the Toronto Marlies.
The 21-year-old says he always had a pro contract as the goal but did not expect it to feel as great as it did after putting pen to paper.
“It’s pretty surreal,” Parsons said. “To have it finally come true is pretty special.
“It’s been a really exciting couple of months, I’m just glad I could get a contract done.”
Parsons attended the Maple Leaks’ development camp over the summer before skating in Medicine Hat ahead of a rookie showcase with Toronto. It was there, the defenceman showed his mean streak with some hits and scrums against the Montreal Canadiens rookies that earned him some social media spotlight.
He saw some of the reaction from Habs’ fans online and he embraces the rivalry of Toronto and Montreal as much as he did Medicine Hat and their Highway 3 foe.
“I see it the same was as Medicine Hat and Lethbridge, not too far down the road,” Parsons said. “It’s a big, big rivalry and that’s what I live for, big, big games like that where the crowd’s into it and there’s a lot on the line.
“That’s where the best players come out. So you want to play in those games. It’s exciting, I just can’t wait to get started.”
He enters the pro ranks after four years and 219 games in the WHL, all with Medicine Hat. Parsons had 17 goals and 52 points in his junior career, tallying 334 penalty minutes, filling the tough guy role for the Tigers. He also tallied eight playoff games, notching one goal and three points.
He will continue to look back positively on his time in the orange and black and he says he wouldn’t be where he is without the help of the Tigers. Parsons promises he’ll be back in the summer for his workouts to see the city that helped him go from a child with a dream to a pro hockey player.
“I can’t thank the city of Medicine Hat or the Maser family enough, how they treated me since I was 14 in that organization, ” Parsons said. “All the coaches with Joe and Willie and Josh, I wouldn’t be here without them. Medicine Hat has a special place in my heart, playing there was a lot of fun. Now it’s onto the next chapter, just moving forward with the Toronto Maple Leafs organization.”
Parsons will either play for the AHL Marlies or for Toronto’s ECHL team, the Cincinnati Cyclones. His landing spot will get decided after Marlies’ camp and preseason. Whichever team he ends up with, it will be much larger than his hometown of Cremona or Medicine Hat, where he’s called home the last four years.
“Coming out to Toronto from Cremona was definitely a shell shock,” Parsons said. “Coming out the first time in July, there’s a lot of people compared to what I’m used to. But it’s been good, there’s everything you can ask for and obviously a big city like this it’s been really fun.”
