Cash Parkin is just getting started, and the rookie forward is already money in the bank for the Lloydminster Bandits.
Read more: Bandits tame Tigers, Wheat Kings to stay perfect
“Oh, a very smart kid,” Bandits assistant captain Jayden Plamondon said about the 18-year-old Parkin.
“And he just has a really wicked shot. He can put the puck in the net. He’s getting his confidence more each game and it’ll only get better.”
Parkin scored two first-period goals and the Bandits whipped the Vegreville Rangers 11-3 in Northeastern Alberta Junior B Hockey League action Saturday night at the Cenovus Energy Hub.
The Paradise Valley native played on a line with Plamondon and Aidan Martens, each of whom posted a goal and an assist as the trio combined for six points Saturday.
The night before, Parkin’s breakaway goal midway through the third period accounted for the only offence as Lloydminster blanked the host St. Paul Canadiens 1-0.
“I was lucky enough to get a breakaway there in the third period and I just buried it,” he said. “Right above (goaltender Boston Carter’s) glove, I think, post and in.”
Bandits coach Josh Dudding said the game-winning goal came via “a beautiful shot” and showed what Parkin has brought to the team in his first season of junior B hockey.
The graduate of the Lloydminster Athletics’ academy program has six goals and 12 points after 11 games as a Bandit.
“Starting out (the season), I had a sprained ankle, so I’ve just been coming back from that,” said Parkin, who missed the opening three regular-season games and scored three minutes into his first junior B contest.
“I feel, as the months have gone on, I’ve gotten stronger. I’ve just to keep going here.”
Some of his pure skills stand out more than others.
“I would say my speed, probably,” Parkin said. “I feel like I burn most guys. My faceoffs, too, I’m a strong centreman.”
He’s versatile, too, playing on the wing Saturday in his first game on a line with veterans Plamondon and Martens.
“It was good,” said the right-shot Parkin. “It was easy. We connected well. I think we had really good chemistry right from the start. Even in practice, too, just working together, it clicked right away.
“We’re just trying to fiddle around with lines, just trying to see what mingles. It’s still November, it’s still early in the season, so just trying to see what works.”
Parkin spent the early part of the season alongside captain Joel Webb and rookie Cohen Aultman.
The six-foot, 185-pound Parkin joined the Bandits in September after his junior A training camp stint with the AJHL’s Drayton Valley Thunder.
He said multiple factors contributed to him deciding to leave the Thunder.
“Hockey-wise, off-ice-wise, kind of everything,” he said. “It wasn’t a great fit at the time. Just the whole (makeup) of what they were viewing and what I view, too, it didn’t really fully line up yet.
“So, me and my family just decided it would be best if I come home. I’ve been happy. Playing junior B, too, it’s not bad hockey.”
Drayton Valley (5-9-2) is near the bottom of the AJHL standings and could probably use an emerging talent like Parkin, who said he left on good terms and has kept in touch with the Thunder.
“Yeah, off and on. With me leaving on my own terms, they’re kind of just giving me the space I need and stuff. But they definitely respect me and we still have that relationship, so I can reach out whenever, and they reach out, too.”
Parkin still aspires to play at the junior A level, even if that promotion comes beyond this season.
“Yeah, I could see myself doing it, for sure,” he said. “I’m just taking it day by day right now and just weighing out everything. If the time comes where I want to jump up again, that’s a conversation to be had. But as of right now, I’m good with just staying here and being with the boys in there.”
Parkin was standing outside the Bandits’ dressing room, where the music captured the mood of their second win in as many nights.
“Yeah, it’s a tight squad in there,” he said. “They’re a good group. They’re super welcoming. It’s been an easy transition for me.”
It promises to be a long season for the Bandits, the host team for the Hockey Alberta provincial junior B championship April 1-5 at the Hub.
Last season, Parkin scored 14 goals and 38 points in 28 games as a top scorer with the 18U AAA Athletics in the Junior Prospects Hockey League.
Although that academy is based in Lloydminster, the Athletics spend much of their season travelling elsewhere for games, so this weekend’s string of home dates Nov. 14-16 is welcome news for players and fans alike. Both the 18U AAA and 17U AAA Athletics host multiple teams at the Servus Sports Centre.
“It’s super special,” Parkin agreed. “I remember my second year in Athletics, we got to play at home, and it was like the best hockey I’ve ever played. Just the whole atmosphere, with everyone coming out and watching you, it’s pretty special.
“I’m excited for them. I’ll definitely be there watching them, too.”
Parkin, a graduate of Holy Rosary High School last June, is considering university studies down the road. For now, he’s working full-time with an electrical parts supply company, along with practising and playing with the Bandits.
Parkin lives on an acreage about a 15-minute drive from Lloydminster. He’s part of a wave of young hockey talent out of Paradise Valley, including Logan Flewell of the U18 AAA Lloydminster Lancers and Jack Teasdale, Zachary Schneider and Taythan Willis of the U17 AAA Lloyd Lancers.
Read more: Bandits’ Dennett ‘skates like the wind’
