With junior season over, could Flames top prospect Zayne Parekh be on his way to Calgary soon?
The Saginaw Spirit are out of the playoffs.
And like clockwork, the speculation has begun about how soon Zayne Parekh might arrive in Calgary to join the Flames.
The 19-year-old defenceman, selected ninth overall in last year's NHL Draft by the Flames, saw his OHL season end on Saturday night when the Spirit allowed four third period goals to the Erie Otters, who eliminated them in five games.
About an hour before the end of the game, Sportsnet insider Elliotte Friedman stoked the fires when he said he believes the Flames had a plan in place to bring their star blueline prospect to Calgary if the Spirit were eliminated.
The most intriguing prospect in the Flames pipeline, Parekh is coming off a spectacular season in the OHL – the Herald's Wes Gilbertson's lengthy profile of Parekh was published Friday and can be read here.
After winning the CHL's Defenceman of the Year award in 2023-24, his draft year, he did even more this past season, recording 33 goals and 74 assists in the regular season and becoming the first defenceman since Bobby Orr – yes, that Bobby Orr – to record 30 goals in two consecutive seasons on the Ontario major-junior circuit.
Parekh signed an entry-level deal with the Flames in the fall so could join the team at any time now that the Spirit have been eliminated.
While he didn't light the world on fire during training camp, the organization is high on his potential and his puck-moving, high-tempo style could help a Flames group that has struggled to score.
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