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PrairieThunder sign top pick from dispersal draft
By Pantagraph staff
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BLOOMINGTON -- Don Parsons, who holds the record for the most goals scored at any level of professional hockey by an American-born player, signed Monday with the Bloomington PrairieThunder of the International Hockey League, Coach Derek Booth announced.

“This is a great thing for the organization,” said Booth in announcing the signing of team’s No. 1 pick from Quad City in the recent IHL dispersal draft. “Don and I actually had a talk last year before he went to Quad City.

“He was a guy who was on our radar last year to bring in. To get a second chance at him, knowing that he can score big goals and score a lot of goals is a great thing. He’s a guy who knows where the net is and has a bullet of a shot. He has a knack for getting in those little areas where a guy like Jarrod Skalde, an exceptional passer, can get him the puck.”

Parsons, whose career has spanned 15 seasons, has scored 623 goals and added 571 assists for 1,194 points in 881 games. He ranked 13th in scoring last season for Quad City in the United Hockey League with 69 points on 38 goals and 31 assists in 70 games from his wing position.

“Individual records are always exciting and they are something I’ll look back on after I’m done playing, but right now to me it’s a team game,” said the 38-year-old Parsons. “I’m not saying I don’t love individual accolades, but I’ve got team priorities first.”

The 5-foot-10, 190-pound Parsons said having “hockey sense” is crucial in any aspect of the game.

“The ability to read the situation before it happens is the key,” he said. “I don’t have the greatest or hardest shot, but I think it’s pretty accurate.

 “I believe coming to the PrairieThunder will be a good fit for both us. I played against them last year, so I know they are a first-class organization that plays in a first-class building and I’m happy to be involved. If any other team picked me (in the dispersal draft), I probably wouldn’t be talking about playing hockey this season. I won’t have to uproot my family.”

Parsons and his family live near Davenport, Iowa. His wife, Kristen, is a special education teacher in the Muscatine (Iowa) elementary school district. The couple has three children: Abby (7), Maggy (5) and Maddox (3).

“To get a player the caliber of Don, who is not only a proven scorer but a veteran leader in the locker room who’s going to be great for our young guys, is huge for the PrairieThunder organization,” said general manager Jerry McBurney.

“It’s a great day for the PrairieThunder. Combining Don’s signing with the earlier signing of Jarrod Skalde, we feel the leadership we are going to have is the best in the league and it’s going to help everybody on the team become better players.”

Booth agreed, saying, “We are looking at having two veteran players, who have a ton of experience, to lead the team in the right direction. What the two of them have done in minor league hockey is phenomenal.”

Parsons said the fan support the PrairieThunder received last season played a role in his signing.

“For a team that started the way they did and the fans to stick with them like they did until the end is exciting and a pretty good sign of things to come,” said Parsons. “The fans understand it’s a building process.”  

Parsons has played six years in the East Coast Hockey League, six in the Central Hockey League, two in the United Hockey League and one in the old International Hockey League.

Twice he was voted the CHL’s Most Valuable Player for Memphis during the 2001-02 and 2002-03 seasons when he scored 95 and 106 points, respectively. He also earned the Most Valuable Player Award in the CHL Playoffs in 2001-02 and the Joe Burton Award as the CHL’s leading scorer in 2000-01 with 131 points.

Parsons is the sixth player to sign with the PrairieThunder for the upcoming season, joining Tim Schneider, Sam Miller, Jamison Orr, Casey Handrahan and Skalde. Booth anticipates bringing 24 players to preseason training camp in early October.

The PrairieThunder opens the regular season Oct. 20 at Flint. Its first home game is Oct. 26 at 7:05 p.m. against the Fort Wayne Komets.

Take a look
PrairieThunder's Tyler Rennette, left, looks on while Quad City's Don Parsons, right, takes control of the puck in Friday night's (February 9, 2007) game at U.S. Cellular Coliseum in downtown Bloomington, Illinois. (Pantagraph/B Mosher)
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Reader comments on this story - 6 total

Note: All views and opinions expressed in reader comments are solely those of the individual submitting the comment, and not those of the Pantagraph or its staff.

Ya know: wrote on Oct 21, 2007 3:47 PM:

" I have to wonder how strong a league is when they have a dispersal draft EVERY year. "

thunderstruck wrote on Jul 28, 2007 8:48 AM:

" This guy will be everything we are expecting him to be.....great signing of a great player...... Now give me 2 or 3 more and 2 tough guys and we'll be in business "

Uncle Andy wrote on Jul 24, 2007 6:09 PM:

" Sounds great, I just hope these goal scorers can defend themselves. It sounds like the league is going back to "old time american hockey" which means lots of dropped gloves and cleared benches. "

Loud & Proud wrote on Jul 24, 2007 4:07 PM:

" A man that "knows where the net is". Hopefully this is the scoring intesnity that we needed. Good fit. Plus having an experienced played in the locker room is always a good add. "

Ima Fan wrote on Jul 24, 2007 5:25 AM:

" Good signing by the Thunder, things are looking up. This team has got to score more to be competitive, and this signing helps that happen. I found the positive comments about the facility and the fan base support very interesting. Also, this guy is willing to drive here from Iowa to play, that tells me a lot. "

Thanks Tony Lisman wrote on Jul 24, 2007 2:28 AM:

" Great job with this signing, and on spending to make the Prairie Thunder a winner. "
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