“You drive around town and you can see all the banners and everything hanging up, so there’s definitely that excitement building,” he said. “The rink looks away different compared to earlier in the year – it actually looks pretty sick. You definitely feel the buzz. A lot of people have wished us good luck when we're out and around town, so it's awesome to have all the fans and the community behind us.”
The Spirit will have to wait until the final game of the round robin on May 29 before they’ll face off in that pivotal rematch with the Knights, but by then, Parekh will have already captured the attention – and imagination – of the entire country.
That, you can count on.
Parekh had a season for the ages, recording the kind elite offensive numbers that makes him one of the most intriguing draft-eligible defensive prospects in years.
The Nobleton, Ont. native had 96 points (33G, 63A) in 66 regular-season games, before adding another 11 points (2G, 9A) in 13 playoff appearances.
This, after breaking an OHL record the year prior for the most goals ever by a 16-year-old with 21 as a league rookie.
The numbers are blinding – and that type of potential, certainly, has scouts salivating at what could be in the offing. Experts have already drawn parallels to Canucks blueliner (and Norris frontrunner) Quinn Hughes for the array of offensive weapons and dynamic footspeed in his arsenal.
Ask Parekh, though, and there’s even more just waiting to be unleashed from that 6-foot-0, 179-lb. frame.
“Obviously, I love watching Hughes, Adam Fox and Cale Makar, and I love the way those guys manipulate the guys they're playing against,” he says. “I try to take a couple things from those guys' games. But you know what? I don't think there's one player I play like. I try and take little things from everybody.
“But when I look back on my year now, the numbers don’t really matter to me. I knew at the start of the season I had to take steps in the right direction in terms of my play and trying to round out my defensive game.
“I think I did that – especially towards the end of the season.
“When I first game into this league, I didn't really realize the flaws in my game and what was wrong with how I was playing. But if I go back and watch the tape now, it's pretty evident and I could see it right away. So, I was definitely wanted to try and round out the defensive side of my game and my decision-making – not always thinking offence all the time, but trying to defend super hard and compete.”
