SEATTLE-
Tyler Parsons, a senior at O’Dea, was forced to forfeit his position on the lacrosse team to pursue his hockey aspirations. He currently plays for the Jr. Kraken AAA team (the highest level of their junior program.) which is no small commitment entailing 6am workouts before school and lengthy practices after.
“I was born in Phoenix and spent the first 8 years of my life there, until we moved to Issaquah.” Parsons says.
He played youth hockey with the Jr Coyotes while in Arizona. Since moving to Washington, he played for a few teams before finding his current home with the Jr Kraken.
Parsons played lacrosse all throughout middle school and into his first 2 years of high school. “Playing two sports at once in high school was a big commitment” he says.
Parsons went on to say that around his junior year, he realized that he had a higher chance of playing college hockey, so it made sense to shift his focus there.
Playing with the Jr Kraken means he practices at their facility in North Gate. This provides a unique opportunity for him to brush shoulders and pick up tips from the pros, “a valuable advantage.” parsons say, seeing them provides him with not only an example or a role model but also a inspiration and a reminder of what his goals are.
A decision that proved to be rewarding, in the last 7 games played Parsons had an impressive stat line with 4 goals along with 2 assists. Impressive stat lines like that are putting Parsons on the map in the hockey community. He said he has gotten promising interest but not quite the level he knows he can play.
Parsons has plans to take a gap year next year to play juniors, otherwise known as the minor leagues, where he hopes to get some attention from collegiate programs. His goal is to gain scholarship at a division 1 program. For now, he says he is focused on academics and improving his individual skills and strengths.
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