Keep Dreaming, Keep Believing

Being in person to hear his name called in the fourth round by the Penguins meant everything to Parker von Richter, as he wasn’t initially planning on coming to the draft.

“I’m so happy,” the 20-year-old defenseman said with a smile. “For this to happen, it feels amazing, really.”

After his first two draft-eligible seasons passed by without being selected, Parker thought he would just watch it from home. Plus, he and his dad Owen had their annual tee time scheduled.

“I play once a year, with Parker,” Owen said.

But the more Parker thought about it, the more sense it made to drive down. Their town of Port Credit, a suburb of Mississauga, Ontario, is only about two hours from Buffalo. So, Parker told Owen that they should cancel their round of golf.

“We were like, you know what, let's go see this through, see what happens,” Parker said.

The two of them got in the car on Saturday morning, with Day 2 of the NHL Draft scheduled to start at 11 AM. They played some country music – Parker’s current favorite song is ‘Where the Wild Things Are’ by Luke Combs – and got in a good headspace. “Just trying to keep an open mind,” Parker said.

After arriving in Buffalo, Parker changed in the car in the parking lot. With such short notice, Parker didn’t have the time to get a custom-made suit, like many prospects do to commemorate the occasion. Instead, he dressed in his favorite suit.

“I wore it quite a bit during the season. Most-worn suit, first suit I ever really got for the OHL,” Parker said.

Parker and Owen took their seats at KeyBank Center, hoping for the best. The Penguins initially didn’t have a fourth-round pick, but a little before 2 PM, they traded up to grab one. And they selected Parker with it.

“I feel the first two draft seasons passing by just makes you want to work harder to see it through, so for this to happen in my last eligible draft feels great,” Parker said.

He describes himself as a shutdown defender who can transition the puck well and help out in the offensive zone. von Richter split the OHL season between the Brampton Steelheads and Barrie Colts. He recorded 12 goals, 37 assists and 49 points in 66 games, as well as 14 points (2G-12A) in 21 playoff games with Barrie.

Penguins Vice President of Player Personnel Wes Clark said the scouts in von Richter’s area, Brandon DeFazio and Chris Roque, had a lot of passion for the blueliner, which aligned with the data.

“He’s going off to school next year (at New Hampshire), just had a great run this year, and we believe that there’s real upside to provide a defensive impact,” Clark said.

As for the type of person that Parker is, Owen called him a “gem.”

“Number one, he's a really good kid. Other than that, just head down and work, right? He's the first in, last out kind of kid,” Owen said. “So, it's always been how he's worked. It's always hard work first. Smart and hard. And he's also got a kind of a gritty side, which is suitable for hockey. We didn't play hockey growing up, I didn't. So, this is all new. But it's pretty exciting.”

Parker gave his family a lot of credit for keeping his spirits up over the last couple of years.

“They've done so much for me through everything, through the past couple drafts, getting passed over and whatnot. They just kept pushing me, pushing me, pushing me,” he said. “And for it to work out like this, it's not just my day, it's theirs too.”

While Parker loves to cook and bake, often making dinner for the family, he got the night off from the barbecue to pack for Penguins development camp. Instead, the von Richters ordered steak and salmon for a celebratory dinner.

They’ve given Parker some great advice, but as for what he’d tell his younger self?

“Keep dreaming, keep believing, and it will come true,” Parker said.