Parekh looks to take scoring and winning pedigree to Flames

When the Calgary Flames drafted Zayne Parekh with the ninth-overall pick in the NHL Draft last June, they were acquiring one of the most unique defencemen in the Canadian Hockey League.

Parekh led all CHL defenceman in scoring by a wide margin with 33 goals and 96 points in 66 games with the Saginaw Spirit of the Ontario Hockey League last season, and was named the CHL’s defenceman of the year.

He has continued his strong scoring pace at the major junior level this season, leading defencemen once again with 29 goals and 88 points in 53 games. He is also one goal away from joining Bobby Orr as the only defencemen to record multiple 30-goal seasons in OHL history.

Parekh is ranked No. 5 on TSN's Director of Scouting Craig Button's Top 50 NHL-affiliated prospects list due to his offensive dominance and winning pedigree.

“I’m a pretty dynamic defenceman,” said Parekh. “I’m someone who likes to create plays on the blueline, push the pace, and quarterback the power play. I’m also really taking pride in the game away from the puck and the defensive [side of the game].

“As a person, the best way to describe me is as a ‘smiley’ guy but I’m also someone that’s really competitive that wants to win.”

Winning is something Parekh has done a lot of during his young hockey career. The Spirit finished the regular season with the second-best record in the OHL at 50-16-2 last year and were guaranteed a spot in the Memorial Cup tournament as the host.

After a gruelling two rounds against the Owen Sound Attack and Soo Greyhounds, the Spirit were eliminated in six games by the London Knights in the Western Conference Final, which pushed Saginaw to work harder in preparations for the Memorial Cup.

“After we lost, all 25 guys realized that there were flaws in our game,” said Parekh. “I didn’t think we were competitive enough, but we took it to another level when we came back from our break. Right away in practice, guys were battling really hard, and it was probably the best week of practice that we’ve ever had here.”

Saginaw started the Memorial Cup strong, going 2-1 in the round robin and then routed the Western Hockey League champion Moose Jaw Warriors 7-1 in the semifinals to set up a rematch with the Knights in the final.

The Spirit took an early 3-0 lead in the championship game before London clawed their way back into a tie with less than 10 minutes remaining in the third period.

Vancouver Canucks prospect Josh Bloom played the hero by scoring the game winning goal with 22 seconds remaining as Saginaw finally overcame London and won their first Memorial Cup in franchise history.

“It was the best 10 days of my life and that was the best group of guys to spend it with,” said Parekh. “The fact that we beat London and won with 20 seconds left was a storybook ending. You couldn’t script that any better.”

On the international stage, Parekh has had success with Canada, winning a gold medal at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup in 2023. However, he was originally not invited to Canada’s selection camp for the 2025 World Juniors in Ottawa.

After an injury to Pittsburgh Penguins prospect Harrison Brunicke, Parekh was extended an invite to camp, but he did not make the team.

“It was really disappointing, you grow up watching that tournament and I’ve been fortunate to represent Canada before,” said Parekh. “On that stage, and especially in Ottawa, it would have been a privilege. It was a dream of mine; I was really disappointed and a little bit crushed.”

Parekh feels that disappointment helped motivate him to be better for the Spirit. Since returning from his time with Team Canada, he exploded for 21 goals and 58 points in 31 games.

The Spirit have gone 18-12-2 since his return from Canada's camp and currently hold onto the fourth seed in the Western Conference with five point advantage over the Erie Otters.

“I try to take the positives out of things and be the best player I can be every day and the best person I can be,” said Parekh. “I think it lit a fire under me. I took my game to another level after that. Everything happens for a reason.”

After a shortened, but eventful off-season, Parekh got his chance to cut his teeth at the NHL level when he joined the Flames for training camp in September. He stuck around with the team for 10 days and participated in two preseason games before he was returned to Saginaw.

During his time in Calgary, there were numerous veterans that took time to make the 19-year-old feel at home and share tricks of the trade, including captain Michael Backlund, Jonathan Huberdeau, and Mackenzie Weegar.

But it was a new acquisition who made the biggest impact.

“I think Ryan Lomberg was a guy who left a pretty big impact on me from a personality standpoint and just an unreal person,” said Parekh.

Lomberg joined the Flames for his second stint as an unrestricted free agent after helping the Florida Panthers win the Stanley Cup in last season. Originally signed as an undrafted free agent by the Flames in 2017, Parekh could see the work ethic that Lomberg had to put in to find success at the NHL level."

“He and Backlund won the [fitness] testing, and his pace was impressive right from the start for a guy who had a short summer,” said Parekh. “You could see from his practice habits that he’s a true pro.”

After returning to Saginaw, Parekh made it a priority to get in the gym more often in order to get stronger.

He believes his shortened off-season due to the Memorial Cup, the NHL Draft Combine, and all the activities surrounding the draft itself left him not as prepared as he would have liked entering his first training camp at the NHL.

“I struggled a bit because I couldn’t get my feet under me and I think I wasn’t prepared enough for what I was getting into,” said Parekh. “I didn’t have enough training going into it due to a shortened off-season. Probably from a physical standpoint I wasn’t ready to begin with, and I was obviously nervous going in.”

Growing up in Nobleton, Ont., one of his hockey heroes was Flames forward Nazem Kadri.

Kadri is one of the few Muslim players in the NHL and became the first Muslim player to win the Stanley Cup when the Colorado Avalanche won in 2022.

Parekh's parents are Canadian with backgrounds from India and South Korea and he views Kadri as a role model on how he can represent his family and his culture.

“He’s someone I always looked up to when I was growing up, “ said Parekh. “I have a picture with him when I was five or six years old. He’s one guy who’s been a really good figure for any kid looking to get into the game.

“Hockey has been and is a predominately white sport. As the game continues to grow, it’s really good for the game if I can be that figure for younger kids, and it means a lot to me. I think I’ve really noticed it more in the last year and a half to two years. It comes with a little bit of pressure, so I try to be as good of a role model as I can.”