Parry has signed a deal with French club Cergy and leaves Dunedin this weekend.
"It's all come about pretty suddenly.
"I got the offer last Friday and didn't need too much time to think about it," the 24-year-old said.
"I've been trying to find a club.
"I emailed lots of clubs through France and in some other countries.
"I probably asked Cergy a dozen times what they were doing in terms of goalies.
"I almost gave up when they came back and said they had a spot for me.
"It's a dream come true, really.
I've wanted to play professional ice hockey since I was a little kid."
There is already a Dunedin link to Cergy.
Fellow Thunder representative Paris Heyd played for the club last year, and Cergy assistant coach Kevin Arrault helped the Thunder last season.
Parry was keen to look for a professional opportunity last year but decided to stay in Dunedin to complete a university degree.
He played a season of top junior hockey in Canada in 2006, and has been in the Ice Blacks for four years.
Cergy, based 40km outside Paris, was relegated last season and is now in the third tier of French hockey.
Parry will train and play fulltime, and hopes to take some French classes.
He will not be joined by Heyd, who is staying in Dunedin to study.
"He's really opened the door for a lot of us because he had a big impact last year."
Parry has committed to play for the Ice Blacks in their next world tournament, in Turkey in April.
After that, he is not sure of his plans.
"I really want to give professional hockey a good crack," he said.
"But at the same time, it would be nice to be back with a great bunch of guys at the Thunder.
"I'd love to come back and win a championship with Dunedin."
