( Photo Credit: NHL.com )

By: Mark Allred | Follow Me On Twitter @BlackAndGold277

The ECHL Utah Grizzlies announced yesterday evening that the club has signed former Boston Bruins prospect Cedric Pare for the 2020-21 season. The 6′-3″ 205-pound left shooting center was selected by Boston in the sixth round of the 2017 National Hockey League entry draft from the United Center in Chicago, Illinois.

Pare a Quebec City, Canada native played for his hometown Levis Commandeurs of the QMAAA for two full seasons. After his rookie year in 2014-15 and posting 6-7-13 numbers in 41 games the Saint John Sea Dogs selected the talented two-way forward in the first round (10th Overall) of the 2015 QMJHL Entry Draft. Cedric would play two seasons for the Sea Dogs before being traded to the powerful Rimouski Oceanic. With QMJHL Saint John, Pare posted 18-35-53 totals in 124 games.

Moving over to the Rimouski club you could see Cedric’s skillset increase with a better structured Oceanic team over his former Sea Dogs club who were depleted of many skilled players via trade to rebuild the franchise. In his first year, Pare would join a Rimouski club with an NHL superstar and future first-round selection in Alexis Lafreniere. During the 2018-19 campaign, Cedric posted 17-32-49 numbers in 68 games for the Oceanic.

After the 2018-19 season and first, with his new QMJHL Rimouski team, the Boston Bruins who drafted Pare in 2017 opted out on signing him to an entry-level contract ultimately making him a free agent. Passing on the talented forward would set up a little controversy with Boston Bruins fans as the next season (2019-20) Pare would be under zero control of any National Hockey League franchise and would have a career year.

In Cedric’s final season in the QMJHL he was bumped up the forward lineup to work alongside Lafreniere who was also on his way to career numbers with 122 points (35-77-112) in 52 games played. In 64 games with Rimouski last year the now 21-year-old forward who’s set to turn 22 in January of 2021 posted 37-51-88 finishing his five seasons in the QMJHL. One thing I’ve noticed about Pare since keeping tabs on his since the Bruins selected him in 2017 is his game gets better when he’s placed in situations to succeed. When you orchestrate a lineup that inspires Pares’ skill set, you’ll get the best out of Cedric so it should be interesting to see how he takes to the higher level in the ECHL.

Whenever the ECHL actually returns to play with everything currently going on with pro leagues in North America concerning Covid-19, the 2020-21 regular season for the Utah Grizzlies will mark their 25th Anniversary in the league. Things might’ve not worked out with Pare and Boston but that doesn’t mean a player like Cedric is out of chances reaching his goal of playing in the NHL. If the Utah General Manager structures a winning lineup, Pare could use his first professional season auditioning for more playing time in the higher American Hockey League or the highest level of pro hockey in the show.