Parker Gahagen’s Military Service Intertwined with his Hockey Career

Few professional hockey players can say they’ve proudly served their country in the midst of their athletic careers, but Bridgeport Islanders goaltender Parker Gahagen is among the rare and distinguished group.

Gahagen served in active duty in the United States Army form Feb. 2018 to Sept. 2019, stationed in Colorado Springs. He served as a Brigade Strength Manager, a role that supported the personnel needs for the organization.

"It was a great opportunity," Gahagen said. "I got to meet a lot of awesome people and serving gives you an appreciation for everyday life. What I took out of it the most was the relationships I got out of it."

Gahagen graduated from the United States Military Academy (commonly known as West Point) in 2017, playing all four years at the NCAA level while completing his training. The World Class Athlete Program allowed him to delay his service if he trained for the Olympics, giving him the opportunity to play professionally right out of college.

After graduating, he signed with the San Jose Sharks and played five games for their AHL affiliate, the San Jose Barracuda. He had a short runway to compete for the Olympics, and after he didn’t make the cut for Team USA in Feb. 2018, he was obligated to serve.

“It was a tough change because you’re going from playing professionally to getting into a job with the Army,” Gahagen said. “The unit I was joining was deploying at the time, so I was helping them through the deployment process. It was a pretty hectic time. It was definitely a lot to take in at first, not knowing if I was going to play again.”

Gahagen said he learned a ton on the fly and got into a rhythm in the Army job, building relationships with fellow officers that he’s still in contact with today. He was afforded the chance to resume his hockey career, re-joining the World Class Athlete Program, playing for teams as an avenue to fulfill the rest of his five-year service requirement.

Gahagen made several stops with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Nashville Predators, Philadelphia Flyers and New York Rangers organizations, splitting time between the AHL and ECHL level before signing with the Bridgeport Islanders over the offseason. He has a 2-2-0 record for Bridgeport this season, with a 3.29 GAA and a .883 SV%.

"It's been good so far, I've been finding a routine and we have a good team chemistry," Gahagen said. "I feel like there's a good energy and a good buzz around the organization."

Attending Islanders Training Camp helped Gahagen settle into a new organization. Gahagen appeared in the second half of the first Islanders’ preseason game, which resulted in a 3-2 SO loss to the Philadelphia Flyers. Gahagen turned aside 15 of 16 shots in regulation and made another seven saves in a shootout lasting 11 rounds.

“It was a really good experience, playing in a game like that is always fun,” Gahagen said. “Just building off that game and confidence from it, preseason or not it helps you get into the swing of things. It was impressive to see the Islanders facilities there and at UBS Arena, I knew I could take that experience and taking that into Bridgeport.”

Gahagen isn’t the only player in Bridgeport with a military background. Defenseman Luke Rowe also graduated from a service academy, completing training at the United States Air Force Academy in Dec. 2023. The teammates with a shared background bond about their days in college and quip back in forth in friendly banter.

"We have some subtle back-and-forth between the Army and Air Force," Gahagen said. "It's definitely fun just to kind of compare and contrast between our experiences. It's been fun to get to know him. I'm sure we'll continue to harp on each other a bit."

Gahagen chose to attend West Point to challenge himself, with the prospect of a guaranteed job out of school. He made a mark on the Army team’s history during his time there. Gahagen is the all-time saves leader (3,172) while he sports the best save percentage in franchise history (.926%). He was named to the All-Conference second team and recorded a career-best 17 wins in his first season. Gahagen took pride as the team’s starter from the end of his freshman year through the rest of his time at West Point.

"It definitely worked out," Gahagen said. "I don't know if I was necessarily planning on playing professionally when I made the decision to go there but in my last two years there we were able to have two pretty successful seasons. I was able to be a benefactor of that."

Now in his seventh professional season since returning from duty, Gahagen continues to carry himself with discipline, perspective, and pride.

“Serving gave me a greater appreciation for hockey and everything that comes along with it,” Gahagen said.