NHL Draft-eligible forward Parascak named WHL Player of the Week

The 2024 NHL Entry Draft-eligible forward led all WHLers with 11 points (seven goals, four assists) and a +3 rating in four games.

It’s the first time Parascak has been named Tempo WHL Player of the Week, though he has been named Kal Tire WHL Rookie of the Week five times and Rookie of the Month twice.

The Lethbridge, Alta. product netted a goal and an assist in a dramatic 6-5 overtime win against the Kelowna Rockets to earn third star of the game and kick off a demanding stretch of the Cougars’ schedule.

On March 15, Parascak opened the scoring against the Victoria Royals with a slick toe-drag move. He’d add some insurance on the powerplay by driving the net to score with less than three seconds remaining in the second frame. The 5-foot-11, 179-pound winger was named second star as the Cougars pounced for a 6-1 victory.

He came back for more in a second-straight match against the Royals, using his speed to create a partial breakaway and tie the game at one goal apiece in the first frame with his 40^th lamp-lighter of the season. Parascak would get another after thwarting a Victoria pass on the penalty kill to get another breakaway and bury a backhand goal shorthanded. Parascak closed out a three-point night (and a 10-4 Cougars win) with a helper on an Ondrej Becher shorthanded tally. For the eighth time this season, Parascak was named second star of the night.

Parascak entered Sunday’s match against Vancouver sitting at 99 points on the season. He hit the century mark with an assist on Carlin Dezainde’s game-opening goal and quickly added another after converting a Riley Heidt feed for his 43^rd goal of the campaign. Parascak would tack on a powerplay assist and an empty net goal for a 6-3 victory. The Cougars’ point streak is now up to 15-0-1-1.

With 43 goals and 60 assists in 66 games, Parascak’s 103 points lead the WHL rookie scoring race. He’s also the only first-year player in the Canadian Hockey League to hit triple digits this season.

Parascak is ranked 14^th among North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting ahead of June’s NHL Entry Draft and earned an invitation to the 2024 Kubota CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game in Moncton, N.B.

Prince George (47-15-1-3) closes out the regular season with a weekend set against the Blazers (20-39-3-3) starting on March 22 at 7:00 p.m. PST in Kamloops.