Ryan Parent (born March 17, 1987) is a

Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...

former professional

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. Tw ...

defenceman Defence or defense (in American English) in ice hockey is a player position that is primarily responsible for preventing the opposing team from Goal (ice hockey), scoring. They are often referred to as defencemen, D, D-men or blueliners (the l ...

who played for the

Philadelphia Flyers The Philadelphia Flyers are a professional ice hockey team based in Philadelphia. The Flyers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Conference. The team play ...

and the

Vancouver Canucks The Vancouver Canucks are a professional ice hockey team based in Vancouver. The Canucks compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conferenc ...

of the

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; , ''LNH'') is a professional ice hockey league in North America composed of 32 teams25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Cana ...

(NHL). He is currently interim head coach with the

Utica Comets The Utica Comets are a professional ice hockey team based in Utica, New York. They are members of the North Division in the Eastern Conference of the American Hockey League (AHL) and affiliated with the National Hockey League's (NHL) New Jersey D ...

Playing career

Parent who was born in

Prince Albert, Saskatchewan Prince Albert is the third-largest city in Saskatchewan, Canada, after Saskatoon and Regina, Saskatchewan, Regina. It is situated near the centre of the province on the banks of the North Saskatchewan River. The city is known as the "Gateway ...

, grew up in the remote town of

Sioux Lookout Sioux Lookout is a town in Northwestern Ontario, Canada, with a population of 5,838 people (up 10.8% since 2016). Known locally as the "Hub of the North", it is serviced by the Sioux Lookout Airport, Highway 72, and the Sioux Lookout railway ...

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

, playing minor hockey for the Flyers rep program until his minor bantam year. At age 15, he played AAA hockey for the Thunder Bay Kings Bantam team and was a teammate of future NHL'ers Tom Pyatt and

Marc Staal Marc Staal (born January 13, 1987) is a Canadian professional ice hockey coach and former defenceman who is a player development assistant for the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League (NHL). Staal played 17 seasons in the NHL for the ...

. Parent was then signed by the Waterloo Siskins Jr. B. team for the 2002-03 season before being drafted by the

Guelph Storm The Guelph Storm are a major junior ice hockey team based in Guelph, Ontario, Canada. They have played in the OHL since the 1991–92 season. The team plays home games at the Sleeman Centre. History The franchise started as the Toronto Marl ...

in the 1st round (8th overall) in the 2003 OHL Priority Selection. Parent was drafted by the

Nashville Predators The Nashville Predators (colloquially referred to as the Preds) are a professional ice hockey team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Predators compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Divisio ...

in the first round, 18th overall, in the

2005 NHL Entry Draft The 2005 NHL entry draft was the 43rd entry draft for the National Hockey League. Originally scheduled to be held on June 25, it was postponed to July 30 due to the 2004–05 NHL lockout. Special procedures were required to determine the order ...

. After playing three seasons in the

Ontario Hockey League The Ontario Hockey League (OHL; ) is one of the three major junior ice hockey leagues which constitute the Canadian Hockey League, alongside the Western Hockey League and the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League. The league is for players ag ...

with the Guelph Storm, Parent joined the

Milwaukee Admirals The Milwaukee Admirals are a professional ice hockey team based in Milwaukee. They are the American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate of the National Hockey League (NHL)'s Nashville Predators. They play their homes games at the UW–Milwaukee Panther ...

for the 2006 American Hockey League playoffs. He returned to the Guelph Storm for the 2006–07 season. Parent also played on both Canada's

2006 2006 was designated as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification. Events January * January 1– 4 – Russia temporarily cuts shipment of natural gas to Ukraine during a price dispute. * January 12 – A stampede during t ...

and

2007 2007 was designated as the International Heliophysical Year and the International Polar Year. Events January * January 1 **Bulgaria and Romania 2007 enlargement of the European Union, join the European Union, while Slovenia joins the Eur ...

World Jr. Hockey Championship gold-medal winning teams. On February 15, 2007, Parent was traded along with

Scottie Upshall Scott Upshall (born October 7, 1983) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey left winger. He was selected in the 2002 NHL Entry Draft by the Nashville Predators in the first round, sixth overall. Playing career Amateur As a youth, Upshall ...

, a 1st-round draft pick, and a 3rd-round draft pick to the

in exchange for

Peter Forsberg Peter Mattias Forsberg (; born 20 July 1973) is a Swedish former professional ice hockey player and former assistant general manager of Modo Hockey. Nicknamed "Peter the Great" and "Foppa", Forsberg was known for his on-ice vision and physical pl ...

. On April 5, 2007, Parent made his NHL debut with the Flyers against the

New Jersey Devils The New Jersey Devils are a professional ice hockey team based in Newark, New Jersey. The Devils compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Conference. The club w ...

. He scored his first NHL goal during the 2009–10 season in a 7-4 Flyers loss against the

Florida Panthers The Florida Panthers are a professional ice hockey team based in the Miami metropolitan area. The Panthers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. The team initially played it ...

. Parent is considered a defensive specialist and he has been often compared to NHL players Scott Hannan and

Robyn Regehr Robyn Regehr (born April 19, 1980) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman. He was a first-round draft pick of the Colorado Avalanche, selected 19th overall at the 1998 NHL Entry Draft, but was traded to the Calgary Flames prior ...

. He was nicknamed "Bernie" by his Flyers teammates because of former Flyers net minder

Bernie Parent Bernard Marcel Parent (born April 3, 1945) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender who played 13 National Hockey League (NHL) seasons with the Philadelphia Flyers, Boston Bruins, and Toronto Maple Leafs between 1965 and 1979, an ...

. The two are not related and pronounce their last names differently. On June 19, 2010, Parent was traded back to the Nashville Predators for the rights to

Dan Hamhuis Daniel Hamhuis (born December 13, 1982) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman who played in the National Hockey League (NHL). He was drafted in 2001 by the Nashville Predators. Hamhuis played major junior hockey with the Prince ...

and a conditional draft pick in 2011 (in case Philadelphia did not sign Hamhuis). However, before the regular season began Parent was traded to the

along with Jonas Andersson for Shane O'Brien and Dan Gendur. Vancouver then put Parent on waivers. Parent cleared waivers but wasn't demoted immediately. He dressed for 4 games for the Canucks before he injured his groin. When he recovered, he was reassigned to the Canucks' AHL affiliate, the

Manitoba Moose The Manitoba Moose are a professional ice hockey team based in Winnipeg. They are the American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate of the Winnipeg Jets of the National Hockey League (NHL). The team plays its home games at Canada Life Centre. The fran ...

. He was recalled to the Canucks several times over the 2010-11 season, but didn't dress for another NHL game. Before the 2011-12 season, Parent was assigned by the Canucks to their new AHL affiliate, the

Chicago Wolves The Chicago Wolves are a professional ice hockey team based in Rosemont, Illinois. They are the American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate of the Carolina Hurricanes of the National Hockey League (NHL). The Wolves play home games at the Allstate Arena ...

. Parent was loaned to Team Canada for the

2011 Spengler Cup The 2011 Spengler Cup was held in Davos, Switzerland from 26 to 3 December 2011. All matches were played at host HC Davos's home Vaillant Arena. The number of teams was expanded in 2010 from 5 to 6 in comparison to previous seasons, and split into ...

. An

unrestricted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...

going into the

2012–13 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number, numeral, and glyph. It is the first and smallest positive integer of the infinite sequence of natural numbers. This fundamental property has led to its unique uses in other fields, ranging from science to sp ...

season due to the NHL lock-out, Parent was signed to a professional try-out contract with the Norfolk Admirals of the AHL on October 24, 2012. Parent was later signed by NHL affiliate, the

Anaheim Ducks The Anaheim Ducks are a professional ice hockey team based in Anaheim, California. The Ducks compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Confere ...

, on a one-year contract on January 16, 2013.

Coaching career

On August 23, 2018, Parent was named as an assistant coach for the

Binghamton Devils The Binghamton Devils were a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League (AHL) that played from 2017 to 2021 as the top minor league affiliate of the National Hockey League (NHL)'s New Jersey Devils. During the 2017–18 and 2 ...

. He became interim head coach of the

on November 6, 2024 when

Kevin Dineen Kevin William Dineen (born October 28, 1963) is a Canadian professional ice hockey coach and former player. From 2021 to 2024, Dineen was the head coach of the Utica Comets in the American Hockey League (AHL). Dineen previously served as the hea ...

was fired.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

International

Awards and honours

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Parent, Ryan 1987 births Living people Canadian ice hockey defencemen Chicago Wolves players Guelph Storm players Ice hockey people from Ontario Manitoba Moose players Milwaukee Admirals players Nashville Predators draft picks NHL first-round draft picks Norfolk Admirals players Ontario Reign (ECHL) players People from Sioux Lookout Philadelphia Flyers players Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in the United States Philadelphia Phantoms players St. John's IceCaps players Ice hockey people from Prince Albert, Saskatchewan Vancouver Canucks players Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins players 21st-century Canadian sportsmen