Like most people throughout the world, this past year has been a wild ride for Kings goaltending prospect Lukas Parik. However, unlike many, he’s hopscotched around the globe and performed at a high-level despite the pandemic. This weekend was no exception, as the 19-year-old netminder landed back in North America and proudly put a stamp on the USHL – letting his new teammates and the opposition know that he’s arrived.
I've tried to warn people.
Apparently some aren't listening.
LA Kings goalie prospect @Parik302 is not to be messed with — unless you're willing to deal with the consequences.
Dude flew over from Europe, played B2B games, was named 1st star in both. And roughed up a few guys. pic.twitter.com/JnUmsdY5aU
— John Hoven | The Mayor (@mayorNHL) February 1, 2021
After flying over from Europe, Parik promptly played Friday and Saturday night, earning the No. 1 star in both games.
In a bit of a side note, this game also featured some #KingsOnKingsCrime, as Parik is now teammates with Braden Doyle (2019 RD6) and they were facing Alex Laferriere (2020 RD3) of the Des Moines Buccaneers on Sunday.
Parik’s wild adventure actually began in June 2019 when he was selected by Los Angeles in round three of the NHL Draft. Within a few days, he went from being home in the Czech Republic to strapping on pads at the Kings training facility in El Segundo. While going through Development Camp in SoCal, he was also drafted by the WHL’s Spokane Chiefs.
From the fall of 2019 until the hockey world shut down in March 2020, Parik was one of the best goalies in the WHL. In fact, he was the last netminder to be named Goalie of the Week before the season was called off, coming on the heels of a final game in which he posted a 36-save shutout and scored a goal.
Well, you don't see that every day.@Parik302 makes history with the 1st goalie goal in franchise history!#GoChiefsGo pic.twitter.com/KOOfPO3AQ8
— Spokane Chiefs (@spokanechiefs) March 11, 2020
This punctuated a period where Parik won 10 of last 11 starts, including riding a seven game winning streak when the season was called off.
After spending the second half of 2020 on the sidelines with everybody else, Parik returned to the World Junior Championship this past December and put on one of the most memorable performances of the tournament by shutting out Russia in an opening round upset.
And finally, for your enjoyment – the fist bump between @Parik302 and @Turcotte__71
s/t to @StarsStripesHKY https://t.co/5gj8h88YUM pic.twitter.com/O3tu2UmZF4
— John Hoven | The Mayor (@mayorNHL) December 30, 2020
With the WHL’s return to play plan still in question, Parik is now scheduled to remain with Dubuque for the balance of their USHL season.
Already ranked as the No. 1 goaltending prospect in the Kings pipeline, we believe more accolades will be coming his way. Later today, we expect Parik to named the USHL Goaltender of the Week.
For more on the LA Kings Goaltending Depth Chart, see here.
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