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Montreal Signs NCAA Free Agent Tom Parisi

By William Mccomb

Apr 9, 2015; Boston, MA, USA; Providence College Friars forward Trevor Mingoia (9) celebrates his goal against the Nebraska-Omaha Mavericks with defenseman Tom Parisi (6) during the third period of a semifinal game in the men
Apr 9, 2015; Boston, MA, USA; Providence College Friars forward Trevor Mingoia (9) celebrates his goal against the Nebraska-Omaha Mavericks with defenseman Tom Parisi (6) during the third period of a semifinal game in the men /
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The Montreal Canadiens began their off-season agenda early on Saturday as they inked college free agent Tom Parisi to a contract.

Montreal Canadiens General Manager Marc Bergevin has a lot of retooling to do this off-season and he started by inking Providence College defenceman Tom Parisi to a 2 year Entry Level Contract. As with all Habs contracts, terms of the deal were not disclosed.

The soon-to-be 23 year defender has spent the past 4 years at Providence College, registering 55 points across 144 games. Parisi’s time with Providence coincided with a turn around for the hockey program as they made the Frozen Four for the first time in 30 years, eventually becoming the NCAA Champs in 2014-15. Parisi and the Friars made a repeat appearance in the Frozen Four this year but took a 2-1 double-OT loss yesterday, being eliminated by Minnesota-Duluth.

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Parisi has acted as the unofficial #1 defenceman for Providence over the past couple of seasons, routinely leading the team in ice time.

“We’re just trying to manage things well and make sure their minutes don’t get too high. Tommy routinely is the guy that has the most minutes on our D corps. He’s a guy you trust in every situation’’ said Providence head coach Nate Leaman last season.

Scouting Report

Parisi won’t contribute much offensively to the Montreal Canadiens as evidenced by his NCAA career 0.38 Points Per Game average. He also has average size at 6′ and 194 lbs and is a lefty shot. I’ve never seen him play personally but I’ve been reading a lot of good reports, especially This one from Ben Kerr of Last Word On Sports.

"Parisi is an excellent skater.  He has great first step quickness, good speed in both directions, and excellent acceleration.  Add to this good agility, edge work and pivots and you have a defenceman who can cover a lot of ice."

Parisi has also been praised for his shutdown capabilities. His most notable assignment came against Jack Eichel in last year’s Frozen Four Final and Parisi did not disappoint as he held the future 2nd overall pick to a single assist in the game.

Parisi’s Future

Parisi will likely report to Montreal’s AHL affiliate in St. John’s for the rest of their season as they look to make a push for the AHL play-offs. With the amount of injuries Montreal has sustained this year, adding a young defender like Parisi is a very smart move. He will likely open next season as a top 4 defender in St. John’s and should be given a solid look and ample opportunity to succeed at that level.

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If Parisi is as good a skater as they say and he is able to adjust to the pro game quickly, I could see him possibly pushing for an NHL spot by mid-season next year, especially given Montreal’s relative weakness on the left side.

Habs GM Marc Bergevin has been fairly active with undrafted free agents in the past. His most notable signings include Mike Condon in 2013, Daniel Carr in 2014 and Jiri Sekac in 2015. Montreal has seen mixed results from these signings but Carr looks to have a bright future and Condon has shown some glimpses of promise despite being thrown into the fire due to Carey Price’s injuries this season.

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