Born in Montreal, Quebec, Parent began his junior career in the Western Hockey League (WHL) as the goalie of the Spokane Chiefs.

After one year with the Chiefs, Parent turned professional when he joined the Muskegon Fury of the Colonial Hockey League (CoHL).

During the 1995–96 season, Parent was a CoHL first team All-Star, named the CoHL Most Outstanding Goalie, and also played 19 games with the Detroit Vipers of the International Hockey League and 2 games with the Rochester Americans of the American Hockey League.

The following season Parent played full-time with the Vipers and led them to a Turner Cup victory.

During the season, he was injured by a slapshot by teammate Al MacInnis and was diagnosed with a ruptured testicle.