SPOTLIGHT: Jackson Parsons
“Whether it’s preseason, training camp, or playoffs, it doesn’t matter, it’s all the same sport. The net isn’t any bigger, the puck isn’t any smaller.”
In the sport of hockey, goaltenders are often overlooked despite the difficulty of the position in a team’s last line of defense. With the job of a goalie being to stop vulcanized rubber pucks in a physical presence, it’s instead the mental fortitude that emerges as the biggest challenge.
In the wise words of the great Jacques Plante, “How would you like it if, at your job, every time you made the slightest mistake a little red light went on over your head and thousands of people stood up and screamed at you?”
Kitchener Rangers goaltender Jackson Parsons, who turns 19 in November, is all too familiar with the mental aspect that’s found in the silver lining of the only sport he’s “ever known”. Parsons, who is now entering his Junior year in the OHL, has endured a difficult path and not one he’d expect, having only 27 games under his belt in the league.
Growing up in a small community located in Embrun, Ontario, Parsons acknowledges the support of his parents in building the proper mindset for the position, mentioning they are the ones “who pushed me to become the best version of myself.” With the support system in his hometown, the footing of a positive mindset, and his contagious smile, Parsons built a foundation in his game to keep everything as simple as possible, limiting the mental toll he faces between the pipes.
Jackson Parsons – Photo Credit: Dan Hamilton
“It’s just the same routine over and over. I treat every game the same way. Just stopping the puck. It’s very simple but honestly, it’s just taking it one play at a time.”
Ever since he strapped the pads on for the first time, his attention to detail and drive to be a student of the game have been instrumental in his development from a young age.
Watching his mentor Carey Price growing up, Parsons has modelled his game after him to find composure and calmness jogged with a short memory after a poor outing when he takes to the crease.
“There are so many ups and downs especially as a goalie let alone in the OHL. Just kind of staying level-headed and dealing with the highs and lows, I’ve learned that from Carey.”
This mentality is what drove his success to the next level when he was selected by Kitchener in the third round of the 2020 OHL draft, as the cornerstone of the future in net for the organization.
“It was a special day. It felt like all my hard work was paying off in the biggest way.”
After playing 22 games in his freshman season, Parson was presented with an incredible opportunity to take over the reins last year, but he played in just five games before requiring season-ending shoulder surgery. In an already mentally taxing position, Parsons was faced with what he claimed to be the “biggest piece of adversity” that he’d ever dealt with.
As an athlete, he has always pushed himself to be productive, even outside of the rink. With his injury, there was a void found in the busy lifestyle that he was accustomed to. During his rehabbing he was enrolled with the University of Waterloo taking classes that helped to fill his schedule and keep his mind sharp, focusing on social sciences.
But, it just wasn’t the same as being involved with his passion, his teammates, and his involvement around the arena. Despite this, Parsons was determined to knock down the mental barrier in front of him and make a tremendous comeback. In the summer months, he worked on specific shoulder workouts to gain his strength back along with speed and agility drills that he felt were “definitely important” in a full recovery.
Now with the season kicking off, Parsons feels ready to take the league by storm as he works alongside goalie coach Jordan DeKort, who has been remarkable in getting him back to the top of his game.
“He’s been great. He’s been a large part of it of course and now that he’s full time we have been able to talk every single day and if I have any issues or he sees something in the game that he wants me to work on then we can collaborate and work on it.”
Parsons is enjoying his time back in the facilities as he looks to pick up where he left off as a confident, laid-back, easy-flowing goaltender to help his team compete in every single game of the season. For the Blueshirts, led by their netminder’s perseverance, their ambitions are through the roof high for the upcoming season.
“I think we are going to be a super competitive team, we are not going to give up on any games. It’s going to be a ton of fun and teams should be on the lookout.”
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Written by Evan Doerfler
