'Pretty Good Gut Feeling'

LAS VEGAS – Imagining finishing the most pivotal season of your career on top, to the tune of a national championship.

Nothing could top that feeling … Right?

 “I'm still living on that high,” a beaming Zayne Parekh said after being chosen by the Flames with the 9th pick in the NHL Draft. “But I think this one might top it.

“They're 1 and 2.

“1A and 1B.”

Parekh and the Saginaw Spirit – who were bounced in the post-season by the powerhouse London Knights – returned the favour as Memorial Cup hosts, dispatching their OHL rivals to capture the 2024 Memorial Cup last month.

Now, he’s a Calgary Flame.

And after the conversations he had with General Manager Craig Conroy and the Flames brass at the Scouting Combine only a few weeks ago, he had a feeling this is how things would play out.

“I had a really good talk with them,” he recalled. “They told my agent that I spoke pretty well and that there was interest coming into this draft.

“When it did happen, with the feeling I before ... I knew. And in the 30 seconds leading up to it, I was smiling.

“Pretty good gut feeling.”

The Nobleton, Ont. native had more than 40 family and friends on hand, where the NHL wowed a sold-out crowd with a first-class, one-of-a-kind presentation at the magnificent Sphere.

While the experience of sitting among fans with his future in play had a remarkable, if not distressing, big-league feel to it, Parekh admits he had no trouble keeping his nerves in check.

After all, this is moment he’d been training for.

Parekh is coming off an immaculate season with the Spirit, recording 96 points (33G, 63A) in 66 regular-season games, before adding another 11 points (2G, 9A) in 13 playoff appearances.

This, most impressively, came on the heels of setting an OHL record the year prior, when he potted 21 goals to score the most-ever by a 16-year-old rookie.

Parekh – a right shot – is clearly a dynamic offensive defenceman. His elite vision, footspeed and puck skills mirror those of the greatest threats currently playing in The Show – like one of his idols, 2024 Norris Trophy winner Quinn Hughes.

It’s no surprise, then, that both Hughes and Avalanche blueliner, Calgary native Cale Makar, are the two NHLers he loves to watch most.

“I think that's the type of player I am,” he said of his offensive exploits. “I'm a creative kid with the puck and I like to express that. In terms of the way I play, I like to be creative and make plays on the blueline. The fact that that's grown in the game, I love it. It's the next wave of generational defencemen and you need your defencemen in the play to contribute. I love to make an effort to help my team out.”

When Parekh spoke with CalgaryFlames.com last month as part of our 2024 NHL Draft Class series, he made an interesting comment about his growth over the past year.

Hearing some criticism that he was too one-dimensional (because of that incredible numbers he racked up), Parekh pored over hours of game tape to identify the holes in his game.

While the defensive side was never an issue with him per se, the growth he’s seen over the past calendar year because of this practice turned him from steady prospect to a true dual threat with game-breaking potential.

All of it was the result of his one-of-a-kind work ethic.

And in talking to him post-draft, it’s clear the motivation from within has never been higher.

“I was working with the best, Sergei Samsonov,” the 6-foot, 181-lb. Parekh said of the support group in Saginaw. “He watched back a lot of my games and gave me feedback and we (also) watched games together. He was perfect for me in terms of development and the biggest thing he told me this year was, 'You've got to WANT to defend.' That was the biggest eye-opener for me and sometimes going in there a little straight-legged trying to anticipate the play, but he told me to be quick; close on guys quicker and don't wait and overthink things.

“I took steps in the right direction every day. It starts in practice obviously. From the start of the season to the end of the season, I think I really matured in terms of my game away from the puck. With the puck, I became more creative and smarter. And I thought I became a little bit of better skater throughout the year, too.”

So much so that after a full year’s worth of toil, he skated into the off-season as a Memorial Cup titleholder.

“I love to win. I love that feeling of winning and going through those 10 days with that group of guys, I wouldn't trade that for anything in the world, honestly.

“If I could relive it, I would 1,000 times over,” he said.

And certainly, this emotional Vegas Night will live long in the memory bank, too.