Graduation: Parker Bell
August 7, 2024 - Western Hockey League (WHL)
Tri-City Americans News Release
Growing up in Saskatchewan, it should come as no surprise that Parker Bell's early memories of hockey centered around an outdoor hockey rink.
That, and the fact that it took some time for him to get the whole skating thing figured out.
"I basically just used one leg for the first year that I knew how to skate," he laughed. "It took me a while to figure out how to use both smoothly. My mom used to call me the one-legged bandit."
Bell was born and raised in Estevan until he was 10 years old when he moved to Vancouver Island.
As difficult as it was to say goodbye to his friends in Estevan, the game of hockey helped him adjust to life on the West Coast.
"It was a big change of scenery and definitely hard to say goodbye to all my friends," he said. "I think hockey was big in helping me make friends out here. You make lifelong friendships growing up playing hockey, so I think it was helpful in me meeting new people and making new friends."
After a few seasons of minor hockey on Vancouver Island a close friend of Bell's made the decision to attend Yale Hockey Academy in Abbotsford, British Columbia.
The team offered Bell a spot on the team as well, and after thinking it over, he accepted their offer, hopeful the additional exposure the Canadian Sport School Hockey League has would help him get drafted into the WHL.
While he dealt with a myriad of injuries, and had a disappointing season by his standards, Bell's hopes came true when the Americans selected him 102nd overall in the fifth round of the 2018 WHL Prospects Draft.
"I talked to almost every team throughout the season, even though I didn't play many games, so I thought there was a chance I would get picked," he recalled. "I was in school watching the draft on my phone, when I wasn't supposed to."
Already listed at 6-foot-2 and 165 pounds on draft day, Bell had the size of a WHL player when he came to Tri-Cities for his first training camp in the fall of 2018.
Even though he was as big as some WHL regulars, it was still a big eye opener for the then-14-year-old.
"I think it's pretty crazy for every 15-year-old to get out there and see how big and fast those guys are," he said. "It really shows you how much work you have to put in to get to the level that they're at."
Its clear Bell showed enough during his first camp to warrant the attention of the Americans' hockey staff as they signed him to a Scholarship and Development Agreement near the end of camp.
The news came as a surprise to Bell himself.
"I definitely did not expect to get signed," he said. "I was honestly really surprised when they brought me in to officially sign me. I was obviously really happy when it happened, but I really didn't expect it during my first camp."
The confidence boost he received along with getting signed carried over into his U18 season in 2018-19 as he posted 32 points (11-21-32) in 39 games with the North Island Silvertips in Nanaimo, B.C.
He parlayed that season into his second training camp with the Americans, and once again received some unexpected news by making the team at 16-years-old.
"I don't think I can remember a specific conversation saying I had made the team, I just kept coming to the rink every day and they never told me to go home," he laughed. "I can honestly say I did not think I was going to make that team at 16-years-old. It was definitely a big learning curve for me with how I needed to play and what I needed to do to be successful in the WHL."
Being an offensive producer everywhere he'd gone prior to making that jump to the WHL, Bell says adjusting to being a depth player was the biggest change he had to make during his rookie season. He finished the year with one goal and four assists in 48 games.
After the shortened 2020-21 season, in which Bell played just 13 games with two assists for the Americans, he made a point to put in as much work as possible over the summer to become the impact player he knew he could be.
The work paid off as he scored goals in each of the Americans' first two games in 2021-22, already more goals than he had in his first 61 career games.
"I put in a lot of work that summer, knowing it was my NHL draft year," he said. "I figured I had to be all-in or nothing at that point, so I devoted my entire summer to getting faster and bigger in the gym. I scored on my first shot of the season, so I thought that was a sign that the work I had put in paid off."
The opening game of the season was a precursor to Bell's excellent 2021-22 campaign as he broke through with 49 points (18-31-49) in 64 games.
Born on September 26, shortly after the NHL cutoff of September 15, Bell was eligible for the NHL Draft for the first time that season and his play didn't go unnoticed by scouts from NHL clubs.
Tri-City missed the playoffs that season meaning it was a longer summer for Bell as he counted down the days leading up to the Draft, being held in Montreal, Quebec.
Watching the Draft from his home in Campbell River, surrounded by family, it was a nervous day in the Bell household with each passing selection. The wait was worth it when the Calgary Flames called his name in the fifth round.
"It was pretty nerve-wracking with my whole family there and the picks just kept going and going," he said. "I didn't know when, or if, I was going to get picked. At one point I was pretty sure I would get picked, then another moment you're on the fence and you're not sure. As soon as I heard my name it's just a wave of relief, and I was really happy with where I got drafted.
Bell's mom, Candyce, has been there every step of the way as Parker worked towards his goal of being a professional hockey player.
He heaps praise on her any opportunity he gets.
"She means the world to me," he said. "She's done everything and more that a mom would do to help me get to where I am today. All the money spent going to prep schools, she's done anything and everything she could to help me."
Motivated by the draft and his first NHL training camp, Bell returned to the Americans for his fourth season and took another step forward by setting career highs across the board with 64 points (25-39-64).
The team also took a big step forward, making the playoffs for the first time in Bell's tenure with the organization. He says the chance to play in playoff games was a highlight during his time with the Americans.
"That was definitely the best year of my WHL career just because we had the team to get over the hump and make the playoffs," he said. "We all know we could have gone farther than we did, but it was great to get some post season games under my belt."
After posting six points (2-4-6) in the six-game loss to the Prince George Cougars, Bell didn't have much time to mourn the season being over as he was informed on the bus ride back to the Tri-Cities that the Flames were sending him to Abbotsford to meet their American Hockey League affiliate, the Calgary Wranglers.
Bell hopped on a plane the next day following the 13-hour bus ride back from Prince George and met the Wranglers who were in the midst of their final regular season weekend.
Little did he know, the Wranglers planned on getting him into the lineup.
"I really didn't think I was going to play in Abbotsford," he said. "It had been a few days since I had skated after the long trip back from Prince George. I got to the rink in the second period of the first game they were playing on the Wednesday, then the next morning I walk into the rink, and I see my name on the lineup for the next game. I was kind of freaking out a little bit because I had no idea what to expect, but it was really cool experience. It was such a different style of game compared to what I was used to in the WHL."
Bell played in the Wranglers' final two games of the regular season and picked up an assist on the game-winning goal in the last game of the regular season to cap off his 2022-23 year on a high note.
The taste of life in the AHL only stoked the fire of wanting to become a professional hockey player for Bell and gave him even more drive to work over the summer before training camp.
All that work paid off during the Young Stars Classic tournament, held in Penticton, B.C., when Bell found out the Flames were signing him to a three-year, entry-level contract.
"It was a little crazy how it all happened," Bell started. "I hadn't even played a game yet in Penticton, and about an hour and a half before puck drop for a game my agent called me and told me they were going to sign me. I was just so happy and that's definitely the best moment of my life so far."
As he would be 20-years-old before December 31, Bell was eligible to play professionally full time in 2023-24, whether that be in the AHL or the ECHL.
Instead, the Flames elected to have Bell finish out his WHL career in Tri-City, allowing him to play a top-line role and continue developing on the trajectory that had gotten him to that point.
Despite missing some time due to injury, Bell set a new career high with 33 goals during the 2023-24 season. With it being his final stint with the Americans, Bell's goals for last season were more centered around the team.
"Knowing it was my last year there I was hoping we would have had a stronger year and went on a bit of a run," he said. "Unfortunately, it didn't work out that way."
As is tradition in the WHL, the home team's 20-year-old players are named as the three stars for the final home game of the regular season, giving them one final chance to show their appreciation to the fans who have supported them throughout the year.
In Bell's case it was a chance to soak in the love from fans who had supported him for the past five seasons.
"That was definitely a pretty emotional moment," he said. "Having my family there and looking out to all the fans who have supported me for the past five years of my life. It flew by a lot faster than I ever thought it would. Seeing Alex Serraglio and Ethan Peters being emotional certainly didn't help me in the moment."
Bell arrived in Tri-City for his first training camp as a 6-foot-2 14-year-old. He left nearing 6-foot-6 and with close to 250 games under his belt.
The thought of not preparing to come back in the fall is a bit of uncharted territory.
"It's not easy, knowing I'm not going to be coming back there in a few weeks," he said. "I pretty much grew up down there. It's a little crazy to think about."
That also means he won't be returning to the billets who took him in every fall for the past five years, the Esparza's.
"They were the most amazing billets I could have ever asked for," he said. "It's a long time to be with one family. Their two kids were awesome, and I built such a strong relationship with all of them. My family grew really close with them over the years and we're going to be close for the rest of our lives, which I think is pretty cool."
With his junior career behind him, hockey is now officially Bell's job. In the wake of that reality, he says he still wants to approach the game the same way he has since he was on the outdoor rinks in Estevan.
"It is a job now, but I want to make sure I'm still having fun with it," he said. "I'm really excited to get into my first full year of pro hockey. I'm looking forward to heading back to Calgary and showing what I can do at the pro level."
He may never pull a Tri-City Americans jersey over his head again, but that doesn't mean he'll soon forget what the city and the organization has meant to him over the past six years.
"I couldn't be more grateful for what the fans gave me and our team," he said. "How loud that building gets because of those fans is something I'll never forget. Even beyond the hockey aspect, the booster club, the community events, I enjoyed all of it. I'm going to miss the fans and Tri-Cities as a whole."
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