Parekh named OHL defenseman of the month.....again.

[transplant99]

Defenceman of the Month – Zayne Parekh (Saginaw Spirit)
Nobody was matching the offensive output of Calgary Flames first round pick Zayne Parekh on the back end in January. The Saginaw Spirit rearguard finished the month with 11 goals, including a pair of hat-tricks, 10 assists and 21 points over 10 games along with a plus/minus rating of plus-14. Parekh produced points in all but one January matchup, with a five-point effort that included a hat-trick on January 18 against the Guelph Storm headlining his resume. Parekh added another hat-trick as part of a four-point effort on January 26 in Ottawa. This marks the third time in Parekh’s career that he’s received OHL Defenceman of the Month honours, following previous recognition in March 2024 and November 2023.

An 18-year-old from Nobleton, Ont., Parekh sits tied for the OHL lead in points by a defenceman with 61 (22-39–61) through 40 games in his third OHL season. The ninth overall pick of the 2024 NHL Draft by Calgary, Parekh became the Spirit’s all-time leading scorer among defencemen this past month as he enters February with career totals that include 76 goals, 118 assists and 194 points over 156 regular season games. Last year’s OHL Defenceman of the Year and Memorial Cup champion, Parekh was selected by Saginaw with the 19th overall pick of the 2022 OHL Priority Selection.

https://chl.ca/ohl/article/ohl-annou...-january-2025/

[Reggie Dunlop]

Not bad.

[Cali Panthers Fan]

Not good enough for Team Canada…

[jaikorven]

^^^ LOL thanks for that.

[Calgary]

One of the most exciting prospects in the system. Would ya'll consider him a Top D prospect in NHL?

[Beninho]

Originally Posted by Calgary

One of the most exciting prospects in the system. Would ya'll consider him a Top D prospect in NHL?

Absolutely

[Ba'alzamon]

Scores a goal/game for an entire month, is on pace for a career high in goals, and still has the lowest shooting % of his OHL career.

I think Parekh might be pretty good, guys.

[SeanCharles]

Originally Posted by Calgary

One of the most exciting prospects in the system. Would ya'll consider him a Top D prospect in NHL?

Not to put the cart before the horse but he could be the most offensively dynamic D Canada has produced since Makar.

I never really researched him much going into the draft cause I figured he would be long gone.

Anaheim (Sennecke) and Ottawa (Yakemchuk) caused the mayhem before us that opened the door for it becoming possible.

[butterfly]

The rule that prevents these people from going to the AHL is silly to me. Catton is almost 2 PPG. They're drafted and clearly way too good for their junior leagues.

How is this development? It's just wasting time. That has to be addressed in the next CBA.

[Rick M.]

Pretty pretty good!

[ForeverFlameFan]

Originally Posted by butterfly

The rule that prevents these people from going to the AHL is silly to me. Catton is almost 2 PPG. They're drafted and clearly way too good for their junior leagues.

How is this development? It's just wasting time. That has to be addressed in the next CBA.

I think Parekh should just make the big jump to the NHL playing 3rd pairing minutes with PP2 time. Basically where Barrie is right now. I find it very pointless for Z to play another year in the OHL. Plus, it takes longer to develop in the NHL.

[Royle9]

I agree, sheltered minutes in the NHL.
Mostly PP time.
Loan to the real team Canada next year, Dave Cameron still on his mars mission so no where to be seen.
Win gold.
Come back for playoffs.
Win Calder.

[FanIn80]

What an absolute friggin ninja this guy is. I'm so glad we drafted him. Lots were worried about his defence, but that can be taught. You just can't teach this level of offense.

[FanIn80]

Also in the article is this tidbit, regarding the Player of the Month:

Also considered for the award this month, Frontenacs teammate and Calgary Flames prospect Jacob Battaglia recorded 23 points (9-14–23) over 11 games. Washington Capitals prospect Ilya Protas of the Windsor Spitfires was also excellent, registering 22 points (11-11–22) over nine outings.

[Fire]

Unless they can get Parekh an exemption for the AHL, I would be surprised if he doesn't play on the Flames roster next season. At least for a good chunk. Maybe release him for the World Juniors and then assign him to juniors after that if he's struggling at NHL level.

[Groot]

I think Parekh is set on the NHL next year, mostly as AHL isn't an option. But I have no fears about Parekh developing in the NHL in a sheltered role. He's insanely smart with a great work ethic. He's been taking Uni courses for the past 3 years. He knows what he can do and what he aspires to be. He will put in the effort to learn the game, and I think he'll learn very quickly. That's what will help elevate Parekh above his peers.

[looooob]

OHL career stats as of this morning


Al MacInnis 157 GP 74 G 124 A 198 PTS
Zayne Parekh 157 GP 77G 121A 198 PTS


that's the post

[cannon7]

Originally Posted by FanIn80

Also in the article is this tidbit, regarding the Player of the Month:

Battaglia has been a beast. Blowing expectations out of the water. Looking forward to seeing what he can do next camp.

[GreenLantern2814]

Originally Posted by butterfly

The rule that prevents these people from going to the AHL is silly to me. Catton is almost 2 PPG. They're drafted and clearly way too good for their junior leagues.

How is this development? It's just wasting time. That has to be addressed in the next CBA.

The AHL is not an 18 year old league.

Dominate teenagers, don’t get hurt, spend another offseason getting stronger, then go to the AHL full of confidence.

[saillias]

He had another 4 point night. Not sure when it happened but his PPG pace has now eclipsed last season.

Also he can't play in the AHL next year either, he's still too young, you have to turn 20 before Jan 1st or have 4 years in the CHL, he wouldn't reach either requirement.