Ford has eyes on the prize at Jets camp

NHL debuts don’t get much more picture perfect than the one Parker Ford got to enjoy.

As fate would have it, the Rhode Island product suited up in his first NHL game against the Boston Bruins — the team he grew up rooting for.

That would have been memorable enough, but Ford added to the enjoyment for himself and those in attendance at TD Garden when he scored on Joonas Korpisalo as part of a four-goal third period outburst in a 6-2 victory for the Jets.

After Ford had gone through his post-game interviews and took a few moments to try and let the moment soak in, he was serenaded by a large group of his supporters inside the arena before he got on the bus with his teammates.

“They were chanting my name as I was coming out,” Ford recalled during a one-on-one interview during Jets training camp. “I didn’t think that many people were staying after because usually you have to give a pass to everyone. I think I only gave five or six passes out, so it was really cool to see that many people stay after and just give everyone a hug. It just made it that much more special, being able to share that time with everyone.”

Ford, who is expected to suit up on Tuesday in an exhibition game against the Edmonton Oilers at Canada Life Centre, would appear in two more games with the Jets before he was returned to the Manitoba Moose of the American Hockey League.

The NHL experience had given him a little extra bounce in his step, but he suffered an upper-body injury that required surgery.

Instead of thinking about when his next NHL opportunity might come, Ford adjusted his sights to making a speedy recovery.

“You go from playing every game and then, all of a sudden, you’re out for the rest of the season. It was hard,” said Ford, who was signed as an undrafted college free agent after four seasons with the Providence College Friars. “When you’re injured, you’re trying to do different things. Getting back as soon as you can and just taking small victories. That’s what it came down to. Day-by-day, have a goal and try to get to that as best you can. They’re not the same goals as when you’re healthy, but that’s just how the game goes.”

There’s no doubt the timing for Ford was unfortunate, since being on the shelf prevented him from getting another shot before the Stanley Cup playoffs arrived.

“Yeah. It was pretty much the last shift of the game. It was just a funky play,” said Ford, who joined the Jets taxi squad in early May but didn’t see any playoff action. “I don’t know. It was just one of those things. Injuries seem to happen when you’re least expecting it. I didn’t know how bad it was at the start and then I found out shortly after (it was).”

Ford has fully recovered and after a strong off-season of training, he’s ready to try and tackle his next goal — which is to become an NHL regular.

Although there don’t appear to be many openings available with the big club, Ford isn’t concerned with who he might have to leapfrog on the organizational depth chart.

“It’s just a different goal-setting process,” said Ford. “But that next step is proving yourself to be an every day player. Not just getting a couple of games here and there. Everyone here at camp, they’re fighting for jobs. I’ve been doing it the last two years, trying to earn my stripes. That’s something where I need to take the next step, in showing that I can be here every day.

“Obviously, you see guys come and go. That comes into play, but at the end of the day, it’s just motivation,” said Ford. “You want to be that guy. I want to be that guy to make the team and fight for that spot. Every day, I can almost see it. I just have to get there.”

Ford knows the style of game he needs to play in order to enhance his chances to achieve that goal.

When he’s at his best, the feisty forward plays with incredibly high intensity and finishes all of his checks while having the ability to provide some secondary scoring.

“My teammates and the coaching staff know what I bring every game and for my whole career, I’ve been a consistent player. I’ve had an identity,” said Ford. “And for me to stay here, I have to stick to my identity and be one of the best guys at it. That’s working hard, doing all of the little things right and playing on both sides of the puck.

“I’m fighting for a bottom-six spot and your job (in that role) is about bringing energy to the team. It might not be goal-scoring, but it could be a big hit or a blocked shot, a smart play even. That’s what I think I can bring to the team.”

Ford, who turned 25 in July, was overwhelmed by the number of people that stopped him in the summer back home in Rhode Island to share their own personal stories about where they were when he scored his first NHL goal.

“Hearing everyone’s story about how they were watching it, how they heard about it, that was more special to me than actually watching the replay of the goal,” said Ford. “You set that goal (of scoring an NHL goal) for your whole life and then you finally get there. You get there and then it’s like ‘what now?’ That’s the reflecting process.

“How do we move on from here? It’s the same as with the team. How do we get better? After the Jets success last year, how can we get better? It’s a similar process of how I am going to take the next step, that’s what I’m looking to do.”

ICE CHIPS: The Jets reduced their training camp roster by six players, assigning four players back to their respective junior teams and two others who were released from their tryout offers and will attend Moose camp.

Sent back to junior were forwards Kevin He (Niagara IceDogs, OHL), Jacob Cloutier (Saginaw Spirit, OHL) and Oakbank product Owen Martin (Spokane Chiefs, WHL) and defenceman Edison Engle (Brantford Bulldogs, OHL). Heading to the Moose are goalie Alex Worthington and defenceman Ethan Frisch.

He was the only player among that group that appeared in the exhibition game against the Wild on Sunday and he showed well, chipping in an assist while using his speed effectively. With the first round of cuts complete, the Jets are down to five goalies, 16 defencemen and 28 forwards — though Kieron Walton remains in concussion protocol.

ken.wiebe@freepress.mb.ca

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