Heading into the 2023-24 season, both the Saginaw Spirit and defenseman Zayne Parekh had some high expectations and hopes put on them. The organization was named the host for the 2024 Memorial Cup by the Canadian Hockey League (CHL). With players like Parekh, Michael Misa, and the strong returners, they were expected to be one of the Ontario Hockey League’s top teams. Parekh himself was one of 28 players given an “A-Grade” (first-round grade) by the NHL Central Scouting’s preliminary list for 2024 draft-eligible players. This came off the heels of a rookie season that saw him set the OHL record for goals by a U17 defenseman with 21.
With the OHL playoffs just over a month away, neither Parekh nor the Spirit as a team have disappointed. Parekh has set the Spirit organization record for both goals (28) and points (81) for a defenseman and still has 11 games to both add to those records and also reach the assist record, which is 56 (Parekh sits at 53 currently). This play has helped him find his way into the top-10 North American skater rankings by the NHL Central Scouting mid-term rankings. The team as a whole has completely lived up to the expectations, thanks to several trades made by general manager Dave Drinkill and an organization-record 10-game winning streak early on in the season. The Spirit find themselves entrenched at the number one spot in the West Division while also sitting within striking distance of the London Knights for first place in the Western Conference.
Recently, I was able to talk with the OHL’s defenseman point leader and one of the league’s most exciting players to chat about the season both he and the Spirit have had so far.
The Seamless Integration of New Teammates
As mentioned above, GM Dave Drinkill has worked the phones this season, adding several new players to the Spirit roster as the season has progressed. This has been headlined by the addition of Montreal Canadiens prospect Owen Beck. Before that, he went out and brought in Alex Christopoulos and Rodwin Dionicio in a trade with the Windsor Spitfires in November. With the addition of these players, among a few others, many would expect that it would take time for both them and the team to get on the same page, but that was not the case. When I asked Parekh about this, he was quoted as saying, ” You bring in guys like Roddy (Dionicio), Becker (Beck), and Dono (Jorian Donovan), and they understand what it takes to win. They have fit in seamlessly and we haven’t missed a beat. But, we’re slowly starting to click, and I wouldn’t say that we have found our top gear as a group, but we’re slowly getting there.”
With how the team has clicked throughout the season, with Parekh feeling like they have not gotten to that “full gear”, it could be bad news for the rest of the league and the teams that will eventually be in the Memorial Cup when the Spirit do reach that gear.
Taking His Offensive Game to the Next Level
After the rookie season Parekh had with 21 goals, 16 assists, and 37 points, his offensive game has seemingly been taken to a whole different level this season. He currently finds himself in the top five league-wide in points with 81 points. When I asked him what he attributes to the fact that he’s made the jump he has, he stated, “Not much has changed. Just getting stronger in the summertime, working on my skating and I found this year that it has slowed down for me, and it’s been easier to make decisions and make plays at the blue line, creating space for myself. I’ve got a great team around me, too.”
With the pace that Parekh is producing offensively, he has the chance to break the 90-point mark as well as the 30-goal milestone by the end of the regular season for the Spirit.
Memorial Cup & the Saginaw Community
When Saginaw was named the host city for the Memorial Cup this year, it became the first United States city to host the tournament since Spokane, Washington, did so in 1998. The community of Saginaw has seemingly taken to both the organization and the fact that the tournament will be hosted in their city big time since it was announced. With Parekh having been in Saginaw for two seasons now, I asked him what he has been able to take from being in Saginaw and what the community has been like for him. He stated, “In my experience, I love the city. It’s nice and quiet. The community is awesome, you recognize all the people at the rink, and you get to know them as individuals and it’s a great community that has supported us really well.”
Related: Spirit Earned Memorial Cup Season with Hard Work & Excellence
While many fans know of the Spirit organization and its history, not many truly know the importance and magnitude of the Memorial Cup, and Parekh is glad to be able to help promote it in the area, saying, “I’m glad we’re starting to get more recognition for the Ontario League. Americans don’t really understand the whole OHL too well, but I’m glad we’re promoting it.”
Playing Style
As one of the top prospects heading into the 2024 Draft from the defenseman position, Parekh has some of the smoothest skating ability out of any defenseman in the draft, along with a strong shot that has tormented goalies all season long. When asked who he tries to model his game after he has a few different players, he says, “I’ve been watching a lot of Quinn (Hughes) lately. I like watching him play. That’s who I personally emulate my game after and I see a lot of similarities there. I mean you can’t really skate like that guy, he’s the best skater in the world. I try to take bits and pieces from his game, Makar’s (Cale) game, and Fox’s (Adam) game. Kind of take one or two things from them and put it into my game.”
If Parekh can continue to develop his game in the model of these three players, he will end up making whatever NHL team drafts him in June quite happy with what they are getting.
Toughest Opponent to Play
Every player has that one opponent that in their mind is the toughest for them to play against and that helps take their game to another level when facing them. When I asked Zayne who that one player was when he’s on the ice, he thinks “Great here comes this guy coming at me again”, he picked fellow 2024 draft-eligible player, Windsor Spitfires’ captain Liam Greentree. “Probably Liam (Greentree), one of my teammates in minor midget. He’s a stud, a great player, and competes hard. I think I’ve become more competitive when I play against him because I want to obviously beat him every time we match up. It’s a friendly rivalry we’ve got.”
Just the Beginning
While Parekh and the Spirit have both seen quite the success this season, it could very well be just the beginning for both parties. For Parekh, he has the NHL Draft to look forward to in June, where he could easily go in the top-10 to top-15 range, and the Spirit could find themselves making a deep run in the OHL playoffs before a hopeful deep run at the Memorial Cup to finish off the 2023-24 season.
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