Parker Ford is out long-term with an upper-body injury (includes latest on Chaz Lucius & Dylan Coghlan)

The Jets signed Parker Ford out of Providence College back on March 25th, 2023 and he would make his pro debut three days later with the Moose in the AHL. Not only did he make his debut but the Rhode Island product scored in his very first game for Manitoba. He would end up playing eight regular season games and five playoffs games with the Moose.

He returned to Winnipeg for his first training camp where many viewed him as a legit option as the 13th forward as he had a very productive camp. Ultimately he was one of the last cuts. He played all 72 games for the Moose in his first full season as a pro (only player on team to do so) which was quite the jump from his days in college where the regular season maxed out at 38. He put up 18G 23A for 41 points in that season which earned him a recall alongside Brad Lambert and Nikita Chibrikov for the final game of the NHL regular season. While he dressed and took warm-up he ended up as a healthy scratch.

Photo Credit: Colby Spence (Illegal Curve)

With another good training camp under his belt he began his second full season as a pro back with the Moose. Like most of the team this season goal scoring wasn’t easy (Manitoba has the least number of goals scored this season) and he was limited to just four goals in his first 27 games of the season. But then he got red-hot scoring seven goals in nine which earned him his first recall of the season up to the Jets who were in Boston to take on the Bruins which was the team he grew up cheering for and was only an hour or two from where he grew up in Rhode Island and where his family still resides. Sure enough on January 30th he made his NHL debut, took a solo lap and it was one to remember as much like he did in his first AHL game he scored his very first goal in that very first NHL game.  He would play two more games for the Jets before begin assigned back to the Moose as Winnipeg got healthy.

Photo Credit: Colby Spence (Illegal Curve)

He scored three more goals for the Moose in the five games after being sent down including in that fifth game against the Admirals in Winnipeg. That would give him 10 goals in his last 14 games and overall his 14 goals on the season led the team in that category. But at the end of the 3rd period, with about 30 seconds to go, he was crunched into the boards where you can see the Milwaukee player drive into the right side of his upper-body (see below).

That was on February 17th and he has missed the last four games.

It was confirmed to me today that it was an upper-body injury and that it is in fact a long-term injury.

Other health news:

Jets prospect Chaz Lucius (2021 1st) was humming along for the Moose and by that I mean playing games from early December (6th) until late January (31st) which saw him play all 21 games Manitoba played during that stretch. He would miss two games in early February before returning on February 9th. However he hasn’t played since (8 games) and the only thing we know officially from head coach Mark Morrison back on February 14th was that “Chaz has a medical condition that needs a little bit further evaluation so we’ll just wait and see”. Three days later still no update. And I was also told today there is still no update on his condition. 

Last up is defenceman Dylan Coghlan who, since being assigned to the Moose, has been very productive. He has eight (8) goals in just 18 games which along with his six (6) assists gives him 14 points and puts him just under a point per game producer. His last game was February 23rd during the current road trip where his blast from the point was the first goal Manitoba had against the pride of Thunder Bay Matt Murray in nine periods. He missed the last game on Wednesday in Belleville. I was told the injury is day-to-day.