Much like the NHL club, one of the biggest questions this year in the AHL was the strength of its defensive group. Matt Taormina was a known entity and Brett Lernout is what he is in terms of production and play. One of the players who had a chance to stake his claim to a regular lineup spot, and possibly get some NHL attention, was Tom Parisi, the former Providence Friar.
In last year’s review, we noted that despite his promise, Parisi never seemed to fully gain his coach’s trust. This year saw him get a much more stable role, and he showed that he’s capable of being a regular contributor on the blue line.