To say that the 2024 NHL Draft went well for the Calgary Flames would be a major understatement. For the first time in what it feels like decades, the Flames had an incredibly good draft where they targeted high-end talent and found some diamonds in the rough late in the draft.
It all started at ninth overall when the Flames selected Zayne Parekh of the Memorial Cup-winning Saginaw Spirit. Parekh fell right into the Flames’ lap and is now leaps and bounds their best prospect as they enter the rebuild everyone was hoping for.
So, let’s take a deeper dive into what makes Parekh so essential to the Flames and why he was a great pick at ninth overall.
Parekh’s the high-end talent the Flames needed
If there was one position that was extremely lacking in terms of the team’s prospect pool coming into last season, it was the Flames’ blue line. Outside of Jeremie Poirer, the team had no defencemen who looked like they would be making a major impact at the NHL level. Well, Craig Conroy certainly addressed that this season through all the trades he made, but the team still lacked a player who could be a true star in the league for years to come. That was until Day 1 of the 2024 NHL Draft when the Flames selected Parekh.
Parekh is truly a new-age defenceman—he skates extremely well, is great on his edges, handles the puck with ease, has a vision of the ice that most players can only dream of having, and unlike many blue liners, he can score—a lot. You don’t have to watch Parekh for long to see what makes him special, his offensive instincts are off the charts, this is a player that you pay money to go watch, he is the definition of box office.
When you score 33 goals, average almost an assist per game and rack up 96 points in just 66 games, you must be a special talent. Players don’t put up numbers like that by accident, and Parekh certainly did not. He was the driver of the Spirit this past season, he was a major reason as to why they won the Memorial Cup. He is going to be an extremely good player for years and years to come.
The (very few) flaws in Parekh’s game
There are not many flaws when it comes to Parekh’s game, the one he does have though would be his defensive game. Like many offensive defencemen, their play on the defensive side of the puck could be lacking, that is somewhat the case here with Parekh.
There were times this year when you could see that Parekh’s defensive game wasn’t at his strongest. He can get beat in puck battles, is maybe standing up too straight when an attacker is coming in on him, and maybe just the level of care on the defensive side isn’t there yet, but that is all okay.
The defensive side of the game is something that can be taught and strengthened over time. Once upon a time, Quinn Hughes was not good in his own end, but that is not the case anymore. With a little bit of growth and maturity in his game, there is no doubt in my mind that Parekh can get that all figured out.
The one other side to Parekh’s game that may be a flaw would be his top-end speed. Parekh is a great skater who is so fluid on his edges and can walk through multiple defenders that are coming at him, but in a straight line, he doesn’t have the speed to totally pull away from guys, just yet. Again, like his defensive game, that is something that can always be improved, he is only 18 years old, and the more muscle he begins to put on, the more speed he will gain.
What can we expect out of Parekh?
I personally think that the sky is the limit for what Parekh can achieve at the NHL level when it makes it there one day. As I have mentioned above, he has all the tools necessary to not only be a good NHL player, but a star-level player. He may be just a few years away from being an NHL regular, and that is not a knock to his game at all—it will be best for his development to go back to Saginaw for another season and dominate, and after that, well who knows how far away he can be.
At the high end and if everything goes right, I think a realistic comparable could be a player like Quinn Hughes. They were both similar in stature when they were drafted, had unbelievably high offensive potential, and had phenomenal skating traits in their game. I am not saying that one day Parekh will be the 90-point, Norris-winning dynamo that Hughes has become… But, they play a similar game, and if Parekh can continue to iron out his game, he can get to that level. Patience will be the key.
Only the beginning for a new Flames era
Friday night was just the first domino to drop in what we hope can be a few high picks in the next couple of seasons for the Flames. For the first time in a very long time, it feels like we as a fan base have something to look forward to. I know for sure I will be keeping an eye on the Saginaw Spirit next season to see what Parekh has up his sleeve.
Next season will be a crucial one in his development, it is very obviously a tall task to follow up a 96-point season with a season even better, but Parekh has all the tools necessary to eclipse his unbelievable draft year. Hopefully, in a short time, he will be a staple on the Flames blue line for years to come, but until then all we can do is wait, and I am very sure that the wait will be worth it.
