As the Kelly Cup Playoffs get closer and closer, having a hot goaltender can often determine just how far a team goes once they get there.

The Florida Everblades seem to be in pretty good shape with Parker Gahagen in net.

Forming one of the league’s best tandems with highly-touted Nashville Predators prospect Tomas Vomacka, Gahagen is honored late February as the ECHL’s Warrior Hockey Goaltender of the Week. He posted a 3-0-0 record with one shutout, a 0.96 goals-against average and a save percentage of .972 in three appearances between February 21-27. 

The 28-year-old entered this past weekend’s games, as seen exclusively on FloHockey, with the league’s fourth-best GAA with a 2.36 mark, and was seventh with a stellar .918 save percentage among qualifying netminders.

Amid his longest run as the starter in his pro career, Gahagen was asked what he chalked up to his recent success. He quickly deflected credit to a franchise that comes into every season as a de facto championship contender.

“Florida is an organization that’s pretty committed to excellence and success, that’s what they’re used to,” Gahagen told FloHockey via cell phone. 

“With the higher level of expectation, it brings anyone’s play to a higher level. So, the team rallies around the increased expectations around here. When a lot is given, a lot’s expected. A lot of guys want to play here.”

The Buffalo native even earned a brief trip back to the American Hockey League this year, appearing in two games with the Everblades affiliate, the Milwaukee Admirals. He certainly seems to be cementing himself as a viable option at that level once again, an opportunity that he’s trying not to think too much about.

“Obviously, you’re trying to be present, and I think that’s the biggest thing, not necessarily thinking about where you want to be and just focus on where you are, just playing in the moment,” Gahagen said. 

DID YOU SEE THAT?! ... even if you did watch it again🤩@parker_gahagen 🥅🔥 pic.twitter.com/2CMda3G8T7

— Florida Everblades (@FL_Everblades) February 26, 2022

That’s a mindset that he’s very familiar with—Gahagen starred at Army for four years, earning a bachelor’s degree in systems engineering from West Point while also serving as a Second Lieutenant. He credits his time there for an even keel approach that’s taken him far in the pro game.

“I think it’s definitely helped with the mental aspect of things, just understanding the resiliency piece to it all,” he said. “You’re having to go through a lot, and there’s a lot of stuff you can’t control in both in the Army and in hockey, so you have to focus on taking things day-by-day.”

It hasn’t all been easy balancing military commitments with hockey aspirations, however. Gahagen had originally agreed to an entry-level deal with the San Jose Sharks after his collegiate career had ended following the 2016-17 season. A policy change after his graduation suddenly required him to serve as a full-fledged military officer, which had not been the case in the past few decades prior to the change. 

After being designated as a “World Class Athlete” as a condition potentially allowing him to join the US Olympic Team in 2018, Gahagen was eventually allowed to begin his pro career late during the 2017-18 season. He became a professional hockey player full-time after a year away for the start of the 2019-20 campaign.

“Well, not being able to play for that year, year and a half, it definitely was something I can look back at and think about my passion for the game,” he said. 

Gahagen, who played with the Newfoundland Growlers during that first pro season before joining the Utah Grizzlies last year, has been a big part of the Everblades success this season. He leads the team with 12 wins and has provided stability between the pipes when it was difficult to find for the group.

“We definitely had a lot of COVID-related absences, COVID-related stuff going on that caused us to be short a lot of guys, but that was something where we were able to rally together and get the job done,” he said. 

“I think now, guys are starting to embrace the challenge of focusing on doing their job, and I think everyone’s meshed more at this point in the season. Morale is high, and everyone’s banded together. We want to not only win for ourselves, but for each other.”

As the regular season starts to come to a close, the focus shifts to getting set for the playoffs, where Gahagen is eager for a chance to win when it matters the most.

“I think for a lot of guys, it’s great to have a great regular season, but you’re never remembered for a great regular season record. I think everyone’s pretty committed to finding a way to get that job done, and finding that way to get the end result, which is the Kelly Cup.”