Zayne Parekh has had another dominant season for the Saginaw Spirit, and now he has just made OHL history.
Parekh scored his 30th goal of the season against the North Bay Battalion, making him the second defenceman in OHL history to record multi 30 goal seasons. He shares the record alongside former NHLer Bobby Orr.
PAREKH HITS 30 🚨@NHLFlames prospect Zayne Parekh makes history and becomes the first defenceman in OHL Modern History to record back-to-back 30 goal seasons to put the @SpiritHockey up 8-3 with this goal!#OHL | @CHLHockey pic.twitter.com/pvKk3r02NB
— Ontario Hockey League (@OHLHockey) March 2, 2025
Parekh is also well on pace to score 100 points on the season. This record just further caps off how dominant Parekh has been, and his development only excites Calgary Flames fans even more.
A record well deserved
Parekh was the ninth overall pick by the Flames last draft, and has since shown nothing but pure skill. The type of numbers he’s putting up as a defenceman hints at how his NHL future could be very bright. As for this record, it was only a matter of time before Parekh would’ve achieved it.
He’s now in a category of his own, as Parekh as established himself as an offensive specialist that has been compared to NHL stars such as Cale Makar and Quinn Hughes. Only time will tell, but if Parekh turns into anything close to a Makar or Hughes, Flames fans would be ecstatic.
Parekh is just too good for the OHL
It’s clear that now Parekh is in need for a bigger challenge. However he won’t be eligible to play in the AHL until he’s 20, so that only leaves the NHL as the other option.
While it’s certainly not an easy path, Parekh could very well play NHL games as soon as next season. With the skill set that he has and the ceiling that he’s projected to hit, it’s not a stretch to believe that at all.
Parekh getting NHL games obviously would depend on how good of camp he has, but with how thin the Flames blueline is, he could only add to the competition for roster spots.
