Welcome back to The Win Column Calgary Flames Prospect Rankings. Our #1 spot this year belongs to Zayne Parekh. Parekh takes #1 from Dustin Wolf, who held the spot for the past two years. Drafted ninth overall just recently, Parekh brings tons of potential to the table.
Parekh’s development so far
Shining with his offensive abilities and flashy plays, Parekh has strongly earned his ninth overall selection. He’s worked his way through every level and has crazy potential for the future. It helps that he started university at 16.
Parekh’s career started back in 2019 in Toronto for his U15 team. He didn’t shock with much that year. In 31 games, he only had four goals and 11 points, which isn’t the typical offensive dominance we’ve become accustomed to. But he was only 13 and 14 at the time.
The following year was supposed to see Parekh make the jump to U16, but life had different plans. Due to the global pandemic, Parekh’s entire season was canceled, and he didn’t suit up for any games. This made him lose a big year of development, but he didn’t waiver.
Finally getting his U16 season with the Markham Majors, Parekh started to produce more similarly to what we are used to. In 23 games, he put up eight goals and 21 points while being the highest scoring defenceman on his team. Then, at the OHL cup, he scored an additional eight points in six games while being named to the tournament’s All-Star Team. This season saw Parekh drafted 19th overall by the Saginaw Spirit in the OHL Priority Selection.
The 2022–23 year was a huge one for Parekh, as it was his rookie OHL season. He had a surprisingly big role for the Saginaw Spirit, but he also earned that role. In 50 games, Parekh scored 21 goals and 37 points, which is insane. A defenceman scoring more goals than assists is unreal. A defenceman finding the back of the net 21 times is even crazier. He also did all of it as a rookie. This performance earned him the honours of First All-Rookie Team in the OHL and the CHL’s All-Rookie Team.
Then came the biggest season of Parekh’s career so far, his draft year. And oh boy, did he impress. Parekh’s production increased once again. In 66 games, he increased to 33 goals and 96 points, a massive jump from the prior. He not only led his team in scoring by 21 points, but he was also the OHL’s highest-scoring defenceman and eighth in the entire league. Before this, Parekh participated in the Hlinka Gretzky Cup with Canada. He helped with three points in five games en route to a gold medal win.
Following his season, the Memorial Cup was guaranteed to be on the table for Parekh due to Saginaw being the host. Saginaw still went on a run to the conference final before losing to the London Knights in six. During these playoffs, Parekh had 11 points in 13 games. At the Memorial Cup, Parekh had five points in the five games that Saginaw played. Parekh and the Spirit were crowned champions after getting revenge on the London Knights.
After all this, Parekh finished as the OHL’s most outstanding defenceman, the CHL’s best defenceman, a gold medalist, Memorial Cup champion, and a top-10 pick at the NHL draft. His accomplishments and offensive talents make his ceiling sky-high.
Parekh’s strengths and weaknesses
As mentioned many times already, Parekh already possesses an elite offensive game.
The first thing I’ll focus on is his skating. His edgework is masterful in the OHL. Parekh can use it to do many types of things, such as transition through the zone, walk the line, or control the zone. It’s impressive how he can use it to gain speed while on the rush. His footwork can leave opponents dumbfounded while he’ll pull off a highlight reel play. The way he walks around the zone is very reminiscent of many elite defencemen in the NHL. His skating, while good, mainly complements his other skills.
What I believe to be Parekh’s best trait is his high hockey IQ. He can read the ice like a book and see future plays before they happen. No issue finding open players, Parekh can rack up assists and jaw-dropping passes. Discovering new ways to control the zone and outsmart his opponents is a massive part of Parekh’s game. You’ll see him trying new things with success very often. Lanes seem to be open with the way he passes the puck. Very rarely will you see him try to attack with no future plan. It adds to his shifty movement. He can circle around and maintain control while constantly looking for the next deadly move.
For 54 goals in only two years in the OHL as a defenceman, you can expect Parekh to have an amazing shot. Every type of shot from him is dangerous. Wrist and slap shots are the most common for him and are huge threats to goalies. It doesn’t matter the area or distance, Parekh has the opportunity to send a laser passed the goalie. His shot possesses power and quickness while having great accuracy. You’ll see him often shoot while walking the line. That use makes him a very good option on the power play and is a big reason why we could see him as a power play quarterback in the NHL.
The final part of Parekh’s game is his puck-moving abilities. His passing, vision, and puck controlling skills make it very easy for him to move the puck. As mentioned before, Parekh can find lanes that just don’t appear to be there. He can see open teammates and send those quick tape to tape passes. Stretch passes while not as common are definitely something that Parekh can do. His puck control is amazing and is highly on display when he’s using his edges. Fast hands and smooth control make Parekh end up on the highlight reel quite often.
Despite all of that, Parekh still has weaknesses. Most, if not all, blend with each other. His defensive game can be very iffy in comparison to his offensive game. He has the tendency to cheat for offence sometimes. Missing assignments or giving up high-danger chances is another thing that can appear. He’s not the biggest defenceman at 180 pounds, and that can cause him to be very disengaged in the physical aspect. Parekh may try to avoid puck battles and skate away from them. It is confusing, as sometimes, when he does engage, he does quite well. The lack of physicality can make his effort seem lackluster overall.
Parekh’s next steps
Parekh has already done a lot early in his career, but he’ll somehow need to improve even more this following season. He’s proven lots by winning CHL Defenceman of the Year and tournaments such as the Memorial Cup and Hlinka Gretzky. Despite that, you obviously want to see more development. I think the most important thing for Parekh is building his defensive game without his offence taking a big hit.
Parekh’s smarts alone make him very projectable. His incredibly high IQ makes it hard not to see him make an impact in the NHL. Throw in some great offensive skills, and you at least have a solid offensive contributor on the back end.
With Parekh, it really all depends on what steps he chooses to take. Fixing his defensive game and inconsistent effort would do wonders for his all-around game and likely improve what he could be at the next level. You don’t want him to be comfortable with the OHL playing field, as that will torch his development. There is a need to show that it is absolutely not the level of competition and that Parekh is just that good and that skilled.
The sky is the limit for Parekh. His offence is deadly, and his struggles are fixable. You’re looking at a guy who could potentially be one of the best defencemen in the NHL with proper development.
