London Knights Goalie Tyler Parsons Raising NHL Draft Value
By Ryan Ritchie
London Knights Goalie Tyler Parsons Raising NHL Draft Value Through OHL Playoffs and Memorial Cup
Nearly two months now, that’s how long it has been since London Knights goalie Tyler Parsons has lost a game.
After dropping two games in their opening round series to Owen Sound in the OHL playoffs, the Knights caught fire winning 13 straight games to capture the league title. The domination continued at the Memorial Cup with two dominating wins over WHL Brandon and host Red Deer.
Heading into Tuesday night’s game against Rouyn-Noranda, the London Knights face the toughest test yet as the Nation’s top two teams square off head-to-head – or, so it was intended to be. Question marks now surround the Huskies heading into this game after they dropped their opener 5-2 to host Red Deer.
Rise of London Knights Goalie Tyler Parsons
Ranked third among North American netminders on NHL Central Scouting Final Rankings, London Knights goalie Tyler Parsons has been on scouts radars all season long.
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Perhaps its easy to overlook the man between the pipes that receives more goal support than anyone else? or maybe he’s simply forgotten among a studded cast of junior stars?
Whatever it may be, scouts need take notice in a year when goaltending is the positional weakness at the draft. Some have regarded Swedish netminder Filip Gustavsson as the top goalie in this class, while others believe QMJHL Sherbrooke netminder Evan Fitzpatrick should be the first one off the board.
While London Knights goalie Tyler Parsons isn’t likely to surpass either on draft day, he’s making a strong case to be the third name called (ahead of 2nd ranked Carter Hart – WHL Everett). Not only that, his performance over the past few months might be enough to hear his name among the top 60 picks – likely somewhere in the 2nd round.
Why is London Knights Goalie Tyler Parsons Worth a Top 60 Pick?
It’s difficult to find weaknesses in his game.
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The 6’1 185lbs Chesterfield, Michigan-native was a free agent signing in 2014-15. His game took off in 2015-16 when he cemented himself as the starter, going 37-9-3 with a 2.33GAA, .921 save percentage, and four shutouts during the regular season. Parsons was 16-2 with a 2.15GAA and .925 save percentage in the postseason.
His excellent numbers are obviously reflective of the team in front of him, but it can also cloud judgement of his overall talent level.
Take Monday night’s Memorial Cup game against Brandon for example. Parsons was rarely tested early in the game and the Wheat Kings failed to generate quality scoring chances for much of the first period. Facing limited shots to no shots for almost 10 minutes, Parsons still had the poise to make a barrage of saves as the Wheaties began pressuring later in the period.
Same game, Tyler Parsons continues to see limited action in the second period, but while his team is on the man-advantage, he was still 100 percent mentally engaged/focused enough to make a beautiful 90-foot lead pass to Christian Dvorak after a Brandon dump-in, sending the Knights on a 2-on-1 odd-man rush.
It’s not easy for goalies to keep composed when they see little action, but this is something Tyler Parsons has dealt with all year long.
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Among other top attributes, London Knights goalie Tyler Parsons is exceptional with his angles and making himself big. His athleticism is top-notch, and he proves that with great lateral movement and flexibility to make jaw dropping saves. Best of all, those unbelievable saves he makes on a regular basis are often game-saving moments.
If the domination continues for the London Knights through their final games at the Memorial Cup, scouts will need to re-evaluate their draft boards, particularly in goal.