INDEPENDENCE, Missouri – Kansas City Mavericks Head Coach and Director of Hockey Operations, John-Scott Dickson announced Thursday that the club has forward and St. Louis, Missouri native, Michael Parks to a standard player contract for the 2019-20 season. Parks joins former Mavericks goaltender Charlie Effinger (2009-10, 2011-12), defenseman Derek Pallardy (2009-11), forward Sean Muncy (2010-11), forward Tommy Lange (2009-10), defenseman Brock WIlson (2012-13) and forward Jake Henderson (2018-19) as the only Missouri natives to play for the Mavericks in the franchise's 11-year history.
The five-foot-11, 187-pound forward played overseas in Austria for the Dornbirn Bulldogs of the Erste Bank Eishockey Liga, scoring 10 goals and tallying 12 assists for 22 points in 44 games. This will be his first season back in North America since 2016-17, when he played for the Quad City Mallards in the ECHL.
In his previous ECHL season with Quad City, Parks put up 56 points on 29 goals and 27 assists in 61 games. Parks has also spent time in the American Hockey League, getting one assist in three games for the Lehigh Valley Phantoms in 2015-16.
“We expect Michael to come in and be an immediate contributor,” Dickson said, “He’s a skilled skater with good speed and is a shooter who can score from anywhere in the offensive zone.”
The St. Louis, Missouri native was the fifth round selection(#149 overall) of the Philadelphia Flyers in the 2010 NHL Draft, four picks ahead of Mavericks forward Corey Durocher. Parks played collegiately at the University of North Dakota, where he was an assistant captain in his junior and senior seasons. In 151 collegiate games, Parks totaled 92 points on 43 goals and 49 assists.
The Kansas City Mavericks begin their 11th season this fall at Silverstein Eye Centers Arena in Independence, MO. The 2019-20 home schedule kicks off on Saturday, October 12 as the Mavericks take on the Indy Fuel at 7:05 p.m. For more information, visit kcmavericks.com.
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