Pardy on, Adam

Adam Pardy received some surprising news while representing Canada at the World Ball Hockey Championships in Slovakia last June.

“I just called to tell my parents to say we won the bronze medal game against the U.S. and they said they had some good news for me too,” said the blueliner for the QMJHL’s Cape Breton Screaming Eagles. “They said sixth round: Calgary Flames. I couldn’t believe it… I was shocked.”

And with justifiable reason.

Pardy is 20-years-old, an unheard of draft age as most young hockey players are taken at the age of 18. This meant the 6’4”, 230lb-er’s chances of being picked were narrowed considerably by the fact he has been available each of the previous three NHL drafts.

“It was a big surprise for me,” said Pardy of his selection. “I just wanted to play hard and see what happened, but it was very exciting when I got drafted. I wasn’t expecting it, but it was good to see.”

HARDLY A BED OF ROSES

The native of Bonavista, Newfoundland’s road to the pro ranks has been a bumpy one. Originally chosen by the Halifax Mooseheads of the QMJHL - arch nemeses of Pardy’s current club - the defenseman was forced to play in the Maritime Junior A League waiting for an open roster spot or trade due to Halifax’s depth issues.

In January 2003, Pardy’s rights were dealt to the Screaming Eagles; but the Antigonish Bulldogs - who owned his Jr. A rights - refused to grant his release. Antigonish General Manager Danny Berry claimed Pardy was needed to strengthen his club’s playoff run, and the Canadian Hockey League was forced to intervene in the dispute. The case was eventually settled and Pardy credits his arrival in Cape Breton for injecting some life into his career.

“I like Halifax and it’s a nice city, and before I got traded I was just like, what am I going to do?” he said. “But I went (to Cape Breton) and the coach really liked me, gave me ice time, and I kept developing. So the coach gave me a chance and it worked out well for me.”

What the current Western Conference champions saw, they liked.

“I talked to them about a month before the draft and they just wanted to talk about my background… where I come from, where I play, major junior and all this,” Pardy recalled from his contact with the club before the draft. “I didn’t really expect anything, they just wanted to talk. There just said there are no guarantees, so don’t expect anything.”

CALGARY SAW SOMETHING

The Flames were the only club in contact, and Pardy was snapped up mid-way through the draft. Going to a young club bursting full of character prospects, he knew he had his work cut out for him in training camp.

“They’re a really hard-working team and they expect a lot from their players so I knew I had to give it my all when I went there,” said Pardy. “I went there for rookie camp and they really push you. They want to get everything they can out of their players… they demand performance and I am really excited.”

The new Flame says he is trying to impress the Calgary brass with his defensive capabilities.

“I don’t want to get scored on during the game so that’s probably my biggest strength,” he said. “I want to play against the tough guy on the other team and I want to shut that guy down.”

Pardy hones his skills in his hometown of Bonavista, where he spends his summers. The village with a population of 4000 is also home to the Ryder brothers - Michael and Daniel – who are celebrated across the province as Newfoundland’s most prominent hockey family. Pardy could learn much from the elder Ryder, but Pardy expresses he and Michael are not talking much hockey these days.

“I am going out with his sister so we don’t really talk about hockey that much,” Pardy said shyly. “But I’ve seen him when he played major junior and I’ve seen him make the steps. So just watching him I can take enough away from that to use myself.”

It seems as though – if all goes well - Bonavista could be on its way to having three pro hockey playing members of their well-known hockey family.