Zayne Parekh’s Game In Toronto Will Be Extra Significant: ‘I’ll Be The One Playing On That Ice’

Zayne Parekh has played in eight NHL games this season. His ninth will be extra special.

For one, it’s against the Toronto Maple Leafs, his hometown team. It’s a full-circle moment that still feels a little surreal for the Calgary Flames defenseman, who grew up in Markham, Ont. But more importantly, Tuesday’s game will be his final chance to convince Flames brass he deserves to be in the lineup for the rest of the season.

If he plays 10 NHL games this season, he will burn the first year of his entry-level contract, and the team can no longer slide it to next fall. 

With family and friends in the stands, this is bound to be a memorable game for Parekh.

“I have a lot of people that are going to be coming,” Parekh said. “I was at a concert there this summer, and I was just picturing what it would be like to be playing in front of that many people. It kind of hit me, and it didn’t feel real. It’s going to be a weird one, because I used to go to the games and watch them play, and I’ll be the one playing on that ice.”

Being dubbed the next Cale Makar and a franchise-changing player, Parekh has entered the NHL under a bright spotlight, the kind of hype few 19-year-olds get. Parekh, drafted ninth overall in 2024 by the Flames, is now taking his first test at the professional level.

“It’s one of those things where you just remember why you started playing hockey, and that’s the biggest thing for me, is to not worry about a lot of the outside noise and what other people are doing but just have fun with it and try to get better every day,” Parekh said. 

He knows the spotlight comes with attention on and off the ice.

“There’s always people watching you, and there’s always cameras on you,” Parekh said. “That’s a little bit different for me. I think the biggest thing is just to enjoy it and enjoy every day, because it goes by so fast.”

Parekh’s passion and intensity for hockey go beyond the ice. He graduated from high school at 16 to focus on hockey while taking courses at the University of Toronto, a move that reflects the same drive and commitment he brings to his game.

The OHL seemed too easy for Parekh last year, and that was after he was the CHL’s top defenseman the season prior. 

He led all OHL defensemen with 33 goals, 61 assists and 107 points across 61 games with the Saginaw Spirit. He even set a Saginaw record for most career assists in franchise history, and he’s up to 153 helpers in 177 games. 

Even as the OHL’s first defenseman to record back-to-back 30-goal seasons since Bobby Orr, the jump to the NHL has proven to be an adjustment. Through eight games with the Flames, he has one point.

“The biggest adjustment’s definitely the speed and the pace,” Parekh said. “You can’t really take a stride off or take a shift off. It’s a really fast-paced game, and nothing helps you prepare for that other than playing. 

“If you give a lot of these players time and space, they can make plays. There’s not a bad hockey player in the NHL.”

In his first few games, Parekh has already been tested by some of the NHL’s best, facing the Utah Mammoth, Montreal Canadiens and Vegas Golden Knights, and lining up against elite defensemen, such as Quinn Hughes, Mikhail Sergachev and Lane Hutson.

Paired up with Joel Hanley, a veteran defenseman, Parekh has 10 shots on goal, four blocks and is averaging just under 16 minutes of ice time. The early numbers reflect the adjustment from Saginaw, where he was an offensive force, recording 243 shots in 61 games and averaging 1.75 points per game. Parekh also finished last season as a plus-42, the second-highest in the OHL behind Michael Misa, while he currently sits at minus-1 with the Flames.

He admits the NHL schedule puts a lot of demand on his body, with games every other night and back-to-backs.

“It could be mentally draining, but just trying to learn and prepare my body as best as possible for that,” Parekh said.

The Flames struggled to find consistent offense last season, as their 220 goals-for ranked 29th in the league. That’s where Parekh’s dynamic playmaking and offensive abilities could make an impact, giving Calgary a much-needed boost from the blueline.

His game is not that of a traditional defenseman, although he can definitely play the part when needed. Parekh isn’t afraid to make a play, create high-danger chances and seamlessly lead the rush. Like a forward with blueline positioning, Parekh might be the piece the Flames have been missing in their search for an offensive spark.

It’s that blend of confidence and creativity that’s earned comparisons to Makar, another smooth-skating, right-shot defenseman who redefined what it means to drive offense as a defenseman. And while Parekh’s still carving out his own identity, his poise and puck control hint at the same kind of game-breaking potential.

“The blend of confidence that borders on cockiness and habitual introspection has allowed Parekh to become one of junior hockey’s most divisive and impressive players,” The Hockey News’ Tony Ferarri wrote earlier this year. 

Parekh is currently signed to a three-year entry-level contract, but with two games to go before he hits the 10-game mark, his deal still has time to ‘slide’ to the next season. He said a successful season to him isn’t based on the numbers or statistics but on proving he can stay in the league all year.

“I wouldn’t say there’s any point aspirations or a certain amount of goals that I want to hit, but just sticking in the NHL for the whole season,” Parekh said. “Just playing in the NHL the whole year, getting better each day, and understanding what it is to be a pro athlete and a pro hockey player.

“I play to have fun and play to win hockey games. And winning is fun to me.”

Mariam Punjani is an intern at The Hockey News.