Since childhood, Colton Parayko always knew building was in his blood.
Whether he was learning how things worked in the garage with his dad or working on his own dirt bike, he’s always taken a hands on approach to satisfy his natural curiosity.
With a strong desire for personal development, the St. Louis Blues defenceman was drawn to the NHLPA UNLMT program in hopes of learning more about himself through establishing his interests, skills and what he connected to most outside of the rink.
“I think naturally, for us as hockey players, we're always excited thinking of the previous game, thinking of the next game,” offered Parayko around the desire to pursue off-ice interests. “A lot of games throughout the season and we always want to be our best so, focusing on and learning about and understanding different passions and things that I’m personally interested, in allows me to take my mind off hockey and ease into something else. It’s definitely been beneficial for the mind.”
Connecting long-time interests to new pursuits in technology and engineering has been an important mission for Parayko, who recognizes the crossover in off-ice skills to on-ice performance.
“If I just focus on hockey I feel like, as a hockey player I would definitely be fulfilled, that’s what I do and obviously what I love. That’s what I’ve done since I was put on skates but from Colton Parayko as a whole, I would say I’m happy that I’ve explored different things and found different interests. … It’s fun to explore other things that you have interest in, so go ahead and do it.”
Being able to take himself away from the game from time to time to focus on his other passions has become an essential tool for Parayko as he’s learned to find a balance throughout his hockey career and beyond.
NHLPA UNLMT was created through the National Hockey League Players’ Association’s commitment to empowering players to connect, engage and excel to help them become the best they can be during their hockey career for the years to come.
Check out Parayko’s full NHLPA UNLMT experience above and for more on the initiative, click here.