[keenan87]

Originally Posted by Royle9

There are many reasons one can argue to hold Parekh back, worrying about a year of his ELC not lining up with the rebuild isn’t one of them. The Flames should have him play wherever they deem his development will strengthen and I trust Craig to do that.

One could argue Parekh has very little left to prove on the OHL, he’s scored at a pace never seen before in both his 16 and 17 year old seasons along with capturing best offensive defenseman titles and a memorial cup which is a feat no defenseman has done before.

I would also argue he’s more mentally mature than any of us were at that age, and more than any other prospect drafted this year. He graduated 3 years earlier, and has taken university courses as a 17 year old whilst playing the most competitive hockey possible. He’s wise beyond his years, and it’s very evident in his interviews. So I don’t see any argument against his mental readiness at this point.

He is most certainly a generational offensive talent, go listen to just about every reputable hockey mind talk about him pre/post draft. He’s a human highlight reel, and teams knew it but like every player he does have some things to work on, which most have identified as being his defensive game and play without the puck. There’s no denying it, he’d be the first to admit it, but that alone shouldn’t eclipse what is his biggest strength and the reason the Flames are so high on him.

Lastly I’ll add that I stood next to the guy at dev camp and spoke to him for a few minutes as he took a few photos with my kids. As a guy who’s 6’3 and 245 I definitely didn’t see him as slight or undersized and he’s got tons of room to grow still. I’d wager he puts on another 5-10 lbs of muscle before main camps.

I trust Craig and Calgary to play him wherever they deem best for him. I won’t be mad if he’s sent back down, nor will I be mad if they keep him up and risk a year of his ELC. I see no reason to panic either way, the Flames have put his development on a pedestal and will absolutely focus on ensuring he’s playing in the right place this year.

If for some reason, this does not work out (hopefully it does) ... can we see Parekh becoming a skilled forward instead?