CHICAGO, IL. (June 24, 2017) – An historic year set new highs for the Brooks Bandits on Saturday morning, as 1998-born forward Parker Foo (Edmonton, AB) was selected by the Chicago Blackhawks in the fifth round of the 2017 NHL Entry Draft, with the 144th overall pick.
Foo is the second player in franchise history to be selected by an NHL team directly from the Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL), after his teammate Cale Makar (Calgary, AB) was selected fourth overall by the Colorado Avalanche last night.
The 18-year old is coming off a sensational sophomore scoring campaign with the Bandits, in which he scored 66 points (34 goals, 32 assists) in 60 regular season games. He was second on the Bandits in goal scoring, and fourth overall in the AJHL in goals as well. He added a further 20 points (10 goals, 10 assists) in just 13 AJHL playoff games, ranking second on the Bandits in scoring, fourth in the AJHL, and second in the league in playoff goals.
He tied for the team lead in scoring at the 2017 Western Canada Cup, placing second overall with 9 points (5 goals, 4 assists) in 5 games as the Bandits won that title for the first time in franchise history, and followed that up with 5 points (2 goals, 3 assists) in 5 games at the 2017 RBC Cup.
He was named the team’s Most Improved Player after scoring 27 points (8 goals, 19 assists) in 44 games with the Bandits in 2015-16, after being signed just before the 2015 AJHL Showcase. He is committed to NCAA Division I Union College to begin his postsecondary hockey career next season.