Editor's note: This story appears in the June/July issue of New England Hockey Journal.
Parker Ford doesn’t fear the abuse that comes with residing in front of the opposition’s net. The 19-year-old center for the Providence College Friars instead savors the rewards that follow the hacks and whacks to his body.
“Most of my goals this season came from within five feet of the net,” Ford said. “I like to score goals, and that’s usually where I score them. Scoring gives me joy, so I don’t mind getting crosschecks or hit. It’s all worth it for that goal.”
It’s impossible to count how many bruises Ford has sustained in his budding career by standing in the combat zone in and around the crease, but what can be measured are his points. The 5-foot-9, 175-pounder totaled 22 of those, nine goals and 13 assists, in 31 games as a freshman in 2019-20.
In addition to doing his part in illuminating the goal light, Ford also earned a spot on National Hockey League Central Scouting’s midterm rankings for the 2020 NHL draft, sitting 150th overall among North American skaters.
This is his third and final year of draft eligibility, and while he’d love to hear his name called, he knows that being selected would represent just a fraction of his ongoing process to one day skate in “The Show.”
“Getting drafted would be another accomplishment, and it would be great to celebrate it with my family that day,” Ford said. “But the goal isn’t to get drafted. The goal is to play professional hockey in the NHL. It’s not like you’re drafted and that means you made it. You still have to put in a lot more work.”
When it came to his inaugural college hockey campaign, Ford started preparing long before the season opener. Fresh off his second season in the United States Hockey League with the Sioux City Musketeers, the Selects Academy product and Wakefield, R.I., native returned home last offseason and immediately worked to add muscle to his growing frame.
“A big goal for everyone going into college is to get as strong and as fast as you can because you’re going to be playing against older and stronger guys, so, for me, hitting the weight room was a big focus,” Ford explained. “Being a smaller guy, I really wanted to make sure my strength was one of my best attributes.”
Ford also prepared mentally for what was to come after Friars coach Nate Leaman informed him that, even though he was a freshman, the opportunity to get a high amount of ice time was going to be there for the taking.
“I knew I was going to be playing a big role on the team, and I had to get ready to be a good top-six forward,” Ford said. “Coach Leaman is one of those coaches who’s going to get the best out of you. He wants you to play a very physical game, and that’s how I look at myself as a player. I’m an undersized guy, but I play a gritty style and like to use my body. His style fits mine perfectly. Going to play for him gave me lots of confidence because the way he wanted me to play — that’s my A game. And, translating from the USHL, I wanted to take those skills and all that confidence I had from there and bring it to Providence.”
Ford did exactly that, opening the season with a five-game point streak, during which he totaled three goals and five assists. However, the right-handed shooter is quick to credit his linemates, sophomore right wing and Hobey Baker Award nominee Jack Dugan and junior left wing Greg Printz, for his early success.
“Jack and Greg are older guys, and they took me under their wing and helped me out,” Ford asserted. “They gave me confidence that I probably wouldn’t have had.”
The words of wisdom Dugan and Printz imparted on Ford was to “stay with his game” when he faced adversity and didn’t have great shifts.
“When I made mistakes, I got on myself a little too hard, but they were really good at telling me, ‘It’s OK, we all make mistakes, you have to keep moving forward and focus on the next shift,’ ” Ford said. “Thinking about my next shift and not worrying about my past mistakes was a big takeaway for me.”
His linemates’ advice was especially useful as the season wore on and points became more difficult to record. Regardless, Ford embraced the challenge of figuring out how to maintain success at the college hockey level.
“We hit adversity as a team in the second half of the season and struggled to win games,” said Ford, whose Friars finished with a 16-12-6 record despite winning only three of their final 11 contests. “Personally, I was banged up and had a couple minor injuries I was playing through. College hockey is such a grind, especially in Hockey East. The playoff race in Hockey East this year was really close. You have to put in a lot of work and it can be tough mentally, but it’s also fun at the same time.”
Ford’s favorite moment of the season came after a special yet frustrating experience at the 2020 IIHF World Junior Championship in Ostrava and Trinec, Czech Republic, where the ultra-talented United States team failed to medal and Ford went pointless in five matches.
“It’s always nice to represent your country,” said Ford, who also skated for the U.S. at the 2018 World Junior A Challenge, where the Americans won the gold medal. “At the WJC, I didn’t play the role I played for Providence, which was a learning curve for me. I was a fourth-line guy, an energy guy, and a penalty killer. Being on a team like that gave me a different perspective. There are so many gifted players, and those guys are some of the best players in the world. It was a cool experience in that aspect, but it was disappointing to not win.”
After the Americans’ last game, Ford flew to Las Vegas to participate in the 2020 Fortress Invitational. Unavailable for the first contest, a Friars’ victory over Army West Point, Ford suited up in the second and final game one night later and scored a goal to help lead Providence to a 3-2 shootout victory over Cornell to win the tournament.
Reminisced Ford: “At the time, Cornell was the second-best team in the country, so gearing up for that game was really cool, especially seeing all the guys come together. It was like we were all one out there, and we gave it our all and won.”
While that moment served as the pinnacle of the campaign for Ford, especially after the Hockey East playoffs were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the home games at Schneider Arena all season were special in their own right because each of them featured relatives and friends of his in the stands.
“For me, playing at Providence College is surreal,” Ford concluded. “Seeing my family in the crowd and all the support I have makes me stop and think, ‘Is this really happening?’ It’s really cool for me and especially cool for my family because they haven’t really been able to see me play in so long since I was far away. It’s pretty special.”
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