It’s that time of the year for The Win Column’s NHL Draft Rankings and Draft Profiles! The 2024 NHL Draft will take place on June 28 and 29 at The Sphere in Las Vegas.
Next up in our rankings Zane Parekh. Arguably the top defenceman available this year, Parekh carries gigantic upside but comes with some major red flags that may scare off some teams at the top of the draft.
Who is Zane Parekh?
| Player | Position | Handedness | Height | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zane Parekh | D | R | 6’0″ | 179 lbs |
Parekh is a right-shot defenceman standing at 6’0″ and 179 pounds. He hails from Nobleton Ontario and has worked his way up the junior hockey ranks in Ontario, currently skating in the OHL. He’s currently ranking as high as third on some draft lists.
Parekh’s on-ice production
| Year | Draft Relative | League | Team | GP | G | A | P |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021–22 | D-2 | GTHL | Markham Majors U16 AAA | 23 | 8 | 13 | 21 |
| 2022–23 | D-1 | OHL | Saginaw Spirit | 50 | 21 | 16 | 37 |
| 2023–24 | D+0 | OHL | Saginaw Spirit | 66 | 33 | 63 | 96 |
Parekh’s rise to stardom has been nothing short of spectacular. Dating back to his D-2 year, he’s consistently posted strong results offensively for a defenceman and just gets better every year. During his D-2 year in the GTHL, Parekh led his team in scoring from the blueline with 21 points in 23 games. The next closest defenceman on his team had just nine points. He followed up his regular season by leading his team in points in the OHL Cup with eight in six games.
Following the 2021–22 season, he was drafted 19th overall in the OHL priority draft by the Saginaw Spirit. In his first OHL season as a 16-year-old, he immediately made an impact, posting 37 points in 50 games—finishing third on his team for points from the blueline.
His 0.74 points per game led all rookie defencemen that season and was the highest total by a U17 defender in the OHL since Ryan Merkley in 2016–17. Even more impressive were his 21 goals which set the OHL record for the most goals by a U17 defenceman.
This current season he’s taken another giant step offensively and once again landed in the OHL history books. Parekh absolutely dominated the OHL to the tune of 33 goals and 96 points in 66 games, leading the OHL in scoring from the blueline. The next closest draft-eligible defenceman was Sam Dickinson who had 26 fewer points than Parekh.
Digger deeper really puts into context just how incredible Parekh’s season was. His 96 points were the third most by a draft-eligible defenceman in OHL history and the highest such total in 34 years. His 33 goals meanwhile were the second most by a draft-eligible defenceman in OHL history and just the second time any draft-eligible defender has hit 30.
Since the turn of the century, 19-year-old Ryan Ellis is the only defenceman to post more points in a single OHL season from the blueline than Parekh did. A reminder he didn’t even turn 18 until February. He’s continued his strong play in the playoffs too, posting five points in four games thus far.
Parekh’s strengths
Elite offensive upside
Parekh is without a doubt the most offensively gifted defenceman in the draft this year and one of the most gifted of the past few years. He’s been prolific in junior and it’s because of how good he is with the puck. He’s able to contribute offensively in so many different ways that he almost acts as a fourth forward at times. Whether it’s joining the rush, walking in off the blueline, or setting up below the goal line, Parekh is all over the ice offensively.
He is electrifying to watch whenever he has the puck because nine times out of ten he makes something happen, whether it’s for himself or his teammates. He’s the rare type of defenceman who is almost always a threat to create offence whenever he touches the puck. Talent and ability like that aren’t teachable and it’s what makes him stand out against his peers.
He always wants to have the puck on his stick and you can’t blame him considering how dangerous he is with it. He’s got that swagger and confidence that most 17-year-old defencemen don’t. He has so many ways to beat you, whether it’s his hands, his shot, or his deceptive skating.
Hockey IQ
Parekh is what can best be described as a wizard offensively. He’s just so smart and savvy when it comes to attacking. He’s constantly finding new ways to beat defenders or set up his teammates because he can think the game at such an impressive rate. He reads the offensive zone incredibly well for a player his age and is constantly finding lanes and opportunities that others can’t.
Here’s an example of Parekh taking the puck along the boards and circling into the slot before firing a no-look pass to a teammate for a wide-open one-timer.
Parekh is always thinking two or three steps ahead when he has the puck on his stick and it makes him incredibly hard to contain. When a player like Parekh is out there, the opposing defence is always on their toes.
Shot
Another impressive aspect of his game offensively is his shot. For a defenceman, his shot is incredibly dangerous and he’s not afraid to use it. Whether it’s a slapshot, one-timer or a simple wrist shot, Parekh is always getting pucks on net and regularly beating goaltenders. You don’t score 33 goals from the blueline without possessing a high-end shot.
Parekh is able to score from all areas of the ice which isn’t something you typically see from a defenceman. It’s what makes him a lethal option on the man advantage as he’ll almost certainly quarterback a power play at the next level. Take a look below at some examples as he uses both his one-timer and wrist shot to complete a hat trick.
Parekh’s areas of improvement
Defensive game
The biggest knock on Parekh is his defensive game or lack thereof. It’s the reason he isn’t being consistently ranked inside the top 10 of the draft. As good as he is on offence, he’s just as questionable on defence at times. Parekh doesn’t have the biggest frame, currently weighing in at under 180 pounds and doesn’t have much of a physical aspect on the game which hurts him in his own zone.
He regularly cheats for offence and gives up chances the other way which can fly in the OHL but won’t stand in the NHL. He can be quite lackadaisical and uninterested in defending at times as he awaits the next opportunity to attack. Although he’s able to get away with it most times, it certainly comes back to hurt him as well.
There are some times you watch him and wish he would commit to the defensive side of the puck more as he can look disengaged and lose puck battles down low and in front of the net.
Parekh’s comparables
Parekh is a unicorn. Very rarely do we see defencemen with his offensive upside come through the draft. For this reason it’s hard not to look at some of the premier offensive producers from the blueline in the NHL and draw comparisons. Think Cale Makar or Quinn Hughes—that’s how high Parekh’s upside is on offence. He’s an incredibly rare type of player.
The best comparison is probably Hughes, who much like Parekh is a high-risk/high-reward player who can create a ton but also gives it back on defence at times. If Parekh can become even half the player Hughes is you’re looking at a high-end offensive defenceman in the NHL.
Fit with the Flames
For the Flames the fit is obviously there. Not only is the organization missing a true blue-chip prospect on defence, but they’re also starved for elite talent at every position outside of in net. Parekh offers that type of talent in spades and would be a massive addition to a pipeline that desperately needs to start adding some special talent. Parekh is the type of player who should be a fit on any team because of how dynamic his talent is.
The only drawback here is that the Flames already have a couple of similar players in their prospect pool in Jeremie Poirier and Hunter Brzustewicz. That’s not to say they’re on the same level as Parekh but both are offensive defenceman with some red flags on defence. Perhaps the Flames would rather use their pick on a more well-rounded defender at this year’s draft.
Summary
Parekh is a special talent, there’s no denying that. You don’t set OHL records without elite talent and Parekh looks to be the next great offensive defenceman to enter the NHL. His upside is undeniable. With that said, his glaring holes on defence are just as clear as his elite offensive upside which makes him a bit of a risk that some teams may avoid.
However, if he can round out his game a bit on defence and become even an average defender he has a real shot to become a superstar in the NHL. When it comes to the NHL draft you always bet on rare talent even if there are some drawbacks, and Parekh is the type of player worth betting on.
Risk: 3/5
Reward: 5/5
Projection: Top pairing offensive defenceman
Check out all of The Win Column’s individual player profiles of selected 2024 NHL Draft prospects:
Macklin Celebrini | Ivan Demidov | Artyom Levshunov | Sam Dickinson | Cayden Lindstrom | Berkly Catton | Cole Eiserman | Zeev Buium | Konsta Helenius | Zayne Parekh | Carter Yakemchuk | Anton Silayev | Tij Iginla | Adam Jiricek | Michael Brandsegg-Nygard | Liam Greentree | Igor Chernyshov | Trevor Connelly | Aron Kiviharju | Michael Hage | Ryder Ritchie | Sacha Boisvert | Nikita Artamonov
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