From Claude Giroux to J.G. Pageau, or from Marc Methot to Mark Borowiecki, Ottawa Senators fans have always had a soft spot for the hometown players who go to battle for their local NHL team.

After a brilliant career with the OHL’s Kitchener Rangers, Embrun’s Jackson Parsons still has a long way to go, but the 2025 CHL Goaltender of the Year is now officially part of his hometown team. Parsons has signed a three-year, entry-level deal with the Senators, and was all smiles on Wednesday at day one of development camp.

"It's unbelievable," Parsons said on the club's website. "Obviously, I played a lot of minor hockey here, so it's bringing back old memories. It's the coolest feeling in the world, putting this jersey on.

"Obviously, I grew up a Sens fan. All my buddies were Sens fans. So it's unbelievable."

Parsons went undrafted last weekend, despite going 37-12-3 with a 2.24 goals-against average, a .920 save percentage, and being named the CHL and OHL Goaltender of the Year.

Parsons played his local AAA hockey with the Eastern Ontario Wild, CIHA Voyageurs, and the Cornwall Colts. He even played a few games with the Eastern Ontario Junior Hockey League’s Char-Lan Rebels. Parsons now joins Kitchener teammates Matt Andonovski and Luke Ellinas as young players trying to make a splash in the Sens' prospect pool.

If everything goes according to plan, his next step will be the American Hockey League, trying to win the opening alongside the B-Sens' probable number one, Mads Sogaard.

“I had a pretty good end to my junior career in Kitchener,” Parsons said. “Obviously, we couldn't get it done against London. But I mean, moving on to here, obviously, the goal is to play pro hockey and play at a high level. So obviously, I'm looking to make a name for myself in the AHL and go from there.”

Parsons says as far as the development camp goes this week, he’s just trying to soak everything in with a new organization, learning some of their key terms and putting them to work.

Finally, when asked about his favourite all-time Senators memory growing up, he didn’t hesitate, picking his answer out of the air like a one-timer from the high slot.

“Oh, probably, like, The Hamburglar. I was like 10 years old when that stuff was happening and it was like, this is crazy. Like, this is so cool. Like, I wanna be there. So, it's sweet.”

It's often said that for hockey fans, the golden age of hockey is whoever you were watching when you were 10 years old. For Parsons, his golden age may have kick-started a future NHL career.

By Steve Warne
The Hockey News Ottawa
Image credit: Ottawa Senators website

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