Staying busy away from the rink has been the perfect recipe for success for South Carolina Stingrays goaltender Parker Milner. While many professional hockey players may try to limit the distractions they face outside of the rink, Milner has embraced them, delving full force into freelance writing while balancing a professional hockey career. Milner has been a frequent contributor for various Charleston media outlets and just recently started his own hockey-based digital publication newsletter, Pregame Skate.  

Described by Milner as an “easily digestible way to keep updated on the world of hockey” Pregame Skate aims to not only keep readers apprised of current stories and headlines throughout the hockey world but looks to provide additional context and paint a bigger picture as to why that information is relevant. Milner takes his knowledge from playing at all levels of the game to help educate subscribers and bring light to the questions and challenges that he has experienced throughout his hockey career.

Milner’s hockey journey began in Pittsburgh, PA where he grew up and played youth hockey until the age of 16 before deciding to move and play hockey at a prep school. After doing some research with his parents and going on school visits, Milner landed at Connecticut Prep School Avon Old Farms for his junior year of high school. 

After playing one season at Avon on a stacked team that included the likes of current NHLer Cam Atkinson, Milner was presented the opportunity to try out for the Waterloo Blackhawks of the United States Hockey League (USHL).  Unsure what to expect going into camp, Milner impressed the coaches and ended up playing his way onto the team.

“My plan was to go back to Avon for my senior year of high school and then hopefully get recruited by some US Colleges,” Milner explained. “I didn’t really think I had a shot at it but went through the try out process and kept going farther and farther and ended up making the team, kind of last minute.” 

After a slow start in Waterloo, Milner went on a run towards the end of the year playing 31 games for the Blackhawks posting a 2.91 GAA and .902 save percentage. His performance down the stretch garnered some interest from Division I Hockey programs including powerhouse Boston College (BC) who had advanced to the National Championship three of the previous four years including winning the title in 2008. 

“Their goalie at the time, John Muse, just had hip surgery and they were concerned he wasn’t going to be able to start the year. They pulled me in last minute and I think I went on my visit the third week of May and a month later I decided to go,” explained Milner. “It was an easy call.  Everything happened really fast.”  

After playing 14 games as a Freshman and eight in his Sophomore year, Milner got the nod as the starter in his Junior year. Playing in 34 games, he posted an impressive 1.66 GAA and .937 save percentage which included rattling off 19 straight wins en route to winning the National Championship and taking home NCAA Tournament MVP honors. 

“That was a pretty special year just because it wasn’t easy the entire year and was a tough journey,” said Milner. “I started well and then had a little rough patch in the middle and got taken out for maybe 6-8 games before they ended up putting me back in and we went on to win the whole thing.”

During his four years at Boston College, Milner played with numerous future NHL talents including Chris Kreider, Johnny Gaudreau, Brian Dumoulin, Mike Matheson, Kevin Hayes, Cam Atkinson and many others who went on to play professional hockey. 

“When I look back, that was the coolest part about BC besides the National Championships,” said Milner. “Practicing with those guys every day and seeing how many of them are playing in the NHL right now and even more that are still playing some sort of professional hockey, it’s pretty crazy.” 

Besides all the talent and winning that came with playing hockey at Boston College, it was the lifelong friendships Milner gained from his four years at school that he cherishes the most. 

“College is kind of unique in the fact that you develop these pretty amazing friendships and bonds. There are nine of us who are still super close and we actually do an annual guy’s trip every summer together.”

Following his Senior year at Boston College, Milner signed a contract with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers of the American Hockey League (AHL) which saw him split time between Bridgeport and their ECHL affiliate in Stockton for the 2013-14 season. When reflecting back on the transition from college hockey to professional, Milner admits it was definitely a big change. 

“I think one of the biggest things is I was so spoiled at BC with how talented our teams were. At one point, I was fortunate enough to have four future NHL defensemen playing in front of me. The quality of skill level, the pace, and scoring chances in pro were a big adjustment. I had to get used to making high quality saves more frequently throughout a game.”

Following his rookie season, Milner played the 2014-15 season with the Quad City Mallards of the ECHL while seeing some time with the Iowa Wild of the AHL. The year after that, he signed back in Bridgeport which saw him split time between the Sound Tigers and the Missouri Mavericks of the ECHL. 

Heading into the 2016-17 season, Milner was presented with the opportunity to sign an AHL contract with the Hershey Bears organization that would slot him fifth on the Washington Capitals goaltending depth chart and have him living in Charleston, SC playing for the Capitals and Bears ECHL affiliate the South Carolina Stingrays.  

Milner was grateful about having the opportunity to live and play in Charleston. A big city that had lots to offer in terms of activities and experiences beyond the rink fit perfectly for where Milner felt he could succeed and play at his best.

“Being in Kansas City right before I came to Charleston was my first real taste of living in a bigger city for pro hockey the whole year and that just kind of opened my eyes to what I wanted and how I felt I could succeed at the next level,” explained Milner. “This is different for everyone, but when I am active and have things to keep me engaged away from the rink, that is when I’m playing my best when I’m at the rink.” 

“I think Charleston is a pretty cool place because a combination of the size and how friendly the people are, it’s just been a fun city. There’s always enough to keep me excited and motivated to try new things and visit different places.”

Milner took full advantage of the opportunity and has since spent the last three seasons living in Charleston playing for the Stingrays while making several appearances for the Hershey Bears whenever called upon. An arrangement from the Washington Capitals organization which he very much appreciates and enjoys. 

“The Capitals and Bears organizations tell you how it is and don’t string you along and make you believe a position is there when it’s not,” said Milner. “They are open with me and let me know they want me to be the number five option and if there’s a chance to come up then that will be me.” 

The combination of living in a city like Charleston coupled with the transparency and commitment from the organization has definitely led to a recipe for success with Milner. Through three seasons with the Stingrays and over 150 games played, the 6’0 190lbs goaltender has yet to have a year with a save percentage under .900% or GAA over 3.00. In 2017-18, Milner was outstanding taking home ECHL Goaltender of the Year, collecting ECHL First All-Star Team honors, and leading the league with a 1.86 GAA. 

As Milner was finding success on the ice in South Carolina, he was also discovering a new passion away from the rink. As someone who liked to keep a journal and write down his thoughts and experiences, Milner combined writing with his love for food and exploration around the city of Charleston and started a food blog in his down time. 

In the Fall of 2017, Milner used his food blogging experience and began doing some freelance writing with Eater Charleston, an online platform outlining everything to do with food in the Charleston area. A unique opportunity to further explore the city Milner had grown to love while pursuing a growing interest in writing and food. 

“I established a passion for food at a young age.  When I was younger, on hockey road trips my Dad would drag me out to try different kinds of foods like Indian or Thai.  At first I would kind of give him crap for it, but I slowly started to like everything I was trying and I’m really thankful now for him doing that and opening my eyes to trying new things,” said Milner. 

“I had some previous food writing experience just from doing it on my own and starting a blog and I think that coupled with the fact I was a professional hockey player really caught the attention of the editor with Eater Charleston.”  

Since then, Milner has been a consistent contributor with Eater Charleston and has also written for the Charleston City Paper and Charleston City Magazine. Last Fall, Milner completed an Internship with Charleston City Magazine which had him working in their office from noon – 5pm three days a week.  The opportunity provided invaluable experience, and challenged him to manage his time between hockey and writing. 

“The Internship was hard to stay consistent with because it’s hard to work on a short time table sometimes when you are a professional hockey player,” explained Milner. “But I do think freelance writing works out perfect with the pro hockey player lifestyle. I think a lot of guys will admit that there is a lot of free time as a pro hockey player, but it just comes at the most random times.”

This past January Milner took his passion for writing to the next level by launching Pregame Skate. A one stop shop for hockey related news, the tri-weekly newsletter arrives directly to the subscriber’s inbox and provides them with quick 5-minute reads that cover current news and events from around pro, college, junior, and minor hockey. Intended for hockey fans across the spectrum, Pregame Skate includes content for fans of all levels and all ages. 

Working alongside former Boston College teammate and 2011 Hockey Humanitarian Award recipient Brooks Dyroff, who started his own digital news publications Tag the Flag and The Street Sheet that have over 225,000 subscribers, the duo decided to give a hockey-based newsletter a shot.  

“Brooks had established a strong brand with Tag the Flag and being a hockey guy, he thought ‘why don’t we try and create something similar for hockey,’” explained Milner. “When I’m writing for Pregame Skate, I try to think of stories that the die-hard hockey fan would totally be interested in, but I also try to create a bigger picture for people who like hockey but might not know every detail and every player but still want to know what’s going on in the game.” 

In addition to the newsletter aspect of Pregame Skate, Milner has incorporated live conference calls as a major part of the content he curates.  Subscribers receive a dial-in code and access number they can call into for the pre-arranged interview and then are able to submit questions at the end of the call that Milner asks his guest in real-time. After the call is recorded, it’s cut up and turned into a podcast and distributed to all subscribers. 

Some of the guests so far have included Milner’s teammate at Boston College and current Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Brian Dumoulin, Milner’s teammate last year in South Carolina and writer for The Athletic Jordan Samuels-Thomas, founder of State and Liberty and Milner’s former Avon Old Farms and Waterloo Blackhawks teammate Lee Moffie, and former New Jersey Devils forward Kurtis Gabriel. 

“We want to try and utilize the people we’ve met and connections we have made throughout our entire careers and curate content that would help someone who is younger and growing through the game and is making decisions about their career like me and Brooks had to,” said Milner. “It’s about trying to help those kids and their parents that are going through a lot of things I went through and many of my peers went through and giving them our advice because we have been through it.” 

Another big facet of Pregame Skate is that it provides Milner with a platform to raise awareness and give back to various charitable initiatives. The call with Kurtis Gabriel was centered around the NHL’s ‘Hockey Is For Everyone’ initiative and talked about his involvement with the cause using Pride Tape in a game versus the Montreal Canadiens this past season. All of the proceeds from the call were given back to the You Can Play Project and the New York City Gay Hockey Association. An aspect of the business Milner finds very important and would really like to continue to grow. 

Like anyone who is in the beginning stages of a start-up, Milner has faced his share of challenges. But the biggest challenge with Pregame Skate and his food writing is having the ability to put himself out there and not be afraid of having an opinion. 

“With the writing I think the biggest challenge is getting outside yourself and not being afraid to fail and say or write something that could be perceived by others as wrong or stupid,” said Milner. “You kind of have to try writing and talking about things in a different way to become better or else there’s a chance it’s going to become stagnant and boring.” 

Milner has embraced the challenge of having a commitment outside of the rink and uses the writing he does as a positive distraction away from hockey.  It’s a motto he’s found success with throughout his career and encourages other players to consider as well.

“Not thinking about everything that you’re doing that’s non-hockey related as a distraction,” explained Milner. “The way I look at it, it’s a positive distraction and helps keep me super present when I am at the rink. I’m able to put the good and bad aside once I leave the rink and it enables me to stay a little more even keel.”

Milner encourages fellow players to take advantage of the resources offered to them. Whether in their local city, through their team, or from the Professional Hockey Players’ Association (PHPA).  During his first season in South Carolina, Milner took an online journalism class at the University of Massachusetts that helped kick start his writing career.  His tuition was reimbursed as per the education clause within the collective bargaining agreement between the ECHL and PHPA that allows each player to enroll in a post-secondary course while playing during the season. 

Looking forward, Milner will be back between the pipes October 11^th when the ECHL season opens as he looks to have another successful season with the Stingrays. As for his writing, Milner is excited to continue to grow the Pregame Skate brand, grow his subscriber base and continue to contribute to various Charleston outlets covering restaurants, food vendors, and all the city has to offer. 

Find Pregame Skate on Twitter and Instagram and click here to subscribe and check out the 5-minute major upgrade to your inbox.