X’s and O’s with XP: Meet Comets’ Forward, Xavier Parent
Jan 12, 2026Utica, NY – After practice last week, we chatted with Comets’ forward and fourth-year pro, Xavier Parent.
Parent is from Laval, Quebec, located just 17 miles outside of Montreal with a population north of 440,000. Like many of his Comets’ teammates, he grew up in a big hockey family and started playing at a young age. But unlike most, it took Xavier some time to develop a passion for being at the rink.
He hit the ice for the first time at the age of four and after quickly learning to skate, was eager to start playing hockey. He recalls those early instructional sessions, consisting of kicking soccer balls around on the ice, which did not live up to his expectations or pique his interest. He gave it another shot a year later and by that time, the activity on the ice resembled a more typical form of hockey and he was sold.
Parent grew up with an older brother and older sister. He frequently attended his brother’s hockey games as a kid and although his sister didn’t play, he has fond memories of the three of them playing street hockey and mini sticks together.
Parent’s hometown is now home to the AHL’s Laval Rocket who arrived in 2017. As a kid, Xavier frequently visited nearby Blainville, Quebec to watch the Armada Blainville Boisbriand of the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL). There was also the Montreal Canadiens, whom he follows closely to this day. The Parent family took two to three trips to the Bell Centre each year and watched virtually every other game on TV.
Among the first players Xavier looked up to was Sidney Crosby, and as he got older, Brad Marchand, whom he admired for his grit and ability to dominate on the ice despite his smaller stature.
Parent is not the only Comet to come from the Montreal area. He crossed paths with current teammates Nathan Legare and Thomas Bordeleau as a kid. He said that he often played against Legare during the winter, but had the opportunity to play on the same team as him in summer hockey and attended high school with Bordeleau for three years.
In 2017 at the age of 16, Parent was drafted fourth overall by the Halifax Mooseheads of the QMJHL, and would soon play in the league he grew up watching and for the team where one of his favorite players, Brad Marchand, spent part of his junior career. It was his first time leaving home and being 500 miles away was difficult at first, but he said that living with a French-speaking billet family helped the transition.
Two years later, in the summer of 2019, he was traded to the Sherbrooke Phoenix, returning to the province of Quebec. He spent a total of three seasons with the Phoenix. He missed some time during his first two seasons due to the pandemic and an injury, but he was named captain his final season which was his best, recording 106 points in 65 games, good for fourth in the QMJHL.
Parent signed his first professional contract with the Comets in July of 2022, a two-year, one-way agreement. Despite his expectations of being on Utica’s opening night roster, he would make his professional debut with the Comets’ ECHL affiliate, the Adirondack Thunder. Although disappointed, Parent enjoyed his time with the Thunder, praising their fan base, the coaching staff, and his great teammates. He said that looking back, the abundance of ice time he got in Adirondack was pivotal for his development as a player.
Patience and perseverance paid off as Parent suited up in 14 games with the Comets during his first pro season in 2022-23 and then became a full-time AHL player the following season. He’s now in his third full season in Utica and has thoroughly enjoyed his time both on and off the ice. “There are some guys I’ve played with the past two years and have become great friends with. The fans are amazing. There’s a lot of good restaurants here and I enjoy a lot of what the city has to offer like going to UCFC games,” Parent said.
This season has been particularly special for Xavier. In mid-December, the call came that he had waited his whole life for. After being recalled by the Devils, Parent made his NHL debut on December 11th at the Prudential Center against the Tampa Bay Lightning. “It was amazing. I got called up on a Wednesday and found out I’d be playing the next night against Tampa. You always dream of that moment, you just never know when it’s going to happen. When I got that call, I was super excited and filled with emotion.”
Parent suited up in five games with the Devils. He played his first three games within the span of four days at the Prudential Center in New Jersey, and then joined the team on its western road swing out to Las Vegas and Utah. “It was pretty nice. It was my first road trip in the NHL. I was with Leggy [Nathan Legare]. We’ve played together since we were five years old and to go on a road trip together in the NHL was a fun moment. Playing in Vegas was amazing. Everything was so loud and the city is unreal,” Parent said, reflecting on a special memory that he got to share with current teammate Nathan Legare who had also been up with the Devils at the same time.
Xavier shared that he keeps things pretty simple away from the rink, enjoying time spent reading and going for walks. In the summer, he can be found on the golf course back in Quebec with Nathan Legare or on the pickleball court. Parent and the Comets are back home this Saturday at 6 pm against Rochester. For tickets, please visit uticacomets.com/tickets or call 315-790-9070.