Michael Parks

History

2008-09: Michael Parks attended USA Hockey's Select 16 Development Camp and competed for the United States at the U17 Five Nations Tournament in Slovakia before returning to St. Louis to play for the Junior Blues AAA U18 team. Parks committed to playing college hockey at North Dakota in 2011-12.

2009-10: Parks skated in 51 games for Cedar Rapids in the USHL, Parks scored 11 goals with 11 assists and was +4 with 57 PMs as the RoughRiders finished second in the East Division. He had 1 assist and was -1 in five Clark Cup playoff games. Parks was also chosen to represent the USA at the U18 Ivan Hlinka Tournament. Parks was ranked 138th amongst North American skaters in Central Scouting's final rankings and selected by the Flyers in the fifth round (149th overall) of the 2010 NHL Draft.

2010-11: Parks was the second-leading goal scorer for Cedar Rapids in his second USHL season, scoring 25 times. He also had 17 assists and was +18 with 42 PMs in 56 games as the RoughRiders finished first in the East Division. Parks had 3 goals with 1 assist and was +3 with 6 PMs in eight playoff games as Cedar Rapids reached the semifinals.

2011-12: Parks made a smooth jump from the USHL to college hockey — skating in 42 games for the University of North Dakota as a freshman. He scored 12 goals with 10 assists and was plus-five with 38 penalty minutes. The Fighting Sioux finished fourth in the WCHA during the regular season but defeated league champion Minnesota and third-place Denver on back-to-back nights to capture the league's playoff title (Parks scored goals in both games). The Gophers returned the favor the following weekend – defeating North Dakota in the NCAA West Regional Final.

 

Talent Analysis

Parks is a small but stocky player that plays bigger than his size.  He has good speed, and a good compete level.  Offensive upside is questionable, so his role may be as more of a checker.

 

Future

Parks is playing for the University of North Dakota.