Prospect Info: 2024 Draft, 9th Overall, Zayne Parekh

[Tkachuk Norris]

Honestly I love Parekh, but him being left off the team makes a lot of sense in a single game elimination tournament. His “outscore your problems” style doesn’t work when every single playoff game one mistake could be what sends your team home.

Canada really has the luxury of not needing to live with many cons when it’s comes to having insane fire power.

What about last year when they couldn’t score against the good teams?
He shut down the Knights last year in a one game elim

 

[Yepthatsme]

What about last year when they couldn’t score against the good teams?
He shut down the Knights last year in a one game elim

This team and last years team are very different with only 4 returnees, Canada has an embarrassment of riches this year.

Thats the entire point, Parekh will help your team win the average game. You just currently never know when he is going to make that brutal mistake that causes a bad goal. Canada really isn’t in a position to have to gamble for offense at all.

 

[Dack]

I get having defensive concerns but I will say that when Parekh's locked in his defense really isn't that bad. I'd even go as far to say he's good on the PK & against the rush. I get that they're going for steady on the backend but I don't think either of Cam Allen or Beau Akey are good defensively. In the few games I've watched Akey was basically playing forward.

I think Canada will regret not bringing one of Parekh or Yakemchuk at some point in this tournament, I get either one making the other redundant but to take neither of them is a little crazy to me. I'd want one of them there as a "break glass in case of emergency" 7th D. Oh well, Brandt Clarke didn't make Team Canada in his D+1 season as an 8th overall either and he's doing alright for himself so far.

 

[JPeeper]

Honestly I love Parekh, but him being left off the team makes a lot of sense in a single game elimination tournament. His “outscore your problems” style doesn’t work when every single playoff game one mistake could be what sends your team home.

Canada really has the luxury of not needing to live with many cons when it’s comes to having insane fire power.

You mean like when he won the Memorial Cup last year along side other notable snub Misa?

 

[Yepthatsme]

You mean like when he won the Memorial Cup last year along side other notable snub Misa?

I don’t think you understand what single game elimination means? Also Misa was an afterthought on that team last year, this year he’s been fantastic but team Canada gets the luxury of having to take 1-3 draft eligible players per year (and 3 is extremely rare which could happen this year), anyone who thought they were taking all of Schaefer, Martone, Misa, McKenna, and Ravensbergen were crazy. Canada likes taking an older team, it’s happened before and it’s happening again this year.

 

[Volica]

The lack of invite is a bit weird. Not the end of the world, I understand not taking him, but to not even invite him to camp is pretty wild.

 

[Tkachuk Norris]

I don’t think you understand what single game elimination means? Also Misa was an afterthought on that team last year, this year he’s been fantastic but team Canada gets the luxury of having to take 1-3 draft eligible players per year (and 3 is extremely rare which could happen this year), anyone who thought they were taking all of Schaefer, Martone, Misa, McKenna, and Ravensbergen were crazy. Canada likes taking an older team, it’s happened before and it’s happening again this year.

What are you talking about? The memorial cup is a single game elimination tournament.

Last year Canada brought Donovan, Furlong, Warren, Bonk, Nelson and Lamoureux. They couldn’t make a pass out of their zone. Mateychuk was the only offensively skilled D and ended up trying to do way too much when he had the puck cause no one else could create anything.

The beat Finland 5-2, although many have called that team the worst Finland has brought in 20+ years. They lost to Sweden 2-0, and they lost 3-2 to the Czechs in the quarters. Those were the only games against decent competition.

Canada shouldn’t be trying to win 2-1 hockey games. They should be trying to win games 7-3.

 

[Ace Rimmer]

The lack of invite is a bit weird. Not the end of the world, I understand not taking him, but to not even invite him to camp is pretty wild.

Applies somewhat to Morin too, if you look close enough at who was invited.

Seems a bit shortsighted for Team Canada to not even invite guys who might make the team in a year (or two) but that's about as upset as I'm going to allow myself to get.

 

[Yepthatsme]

What are you talking about? The memorial cup is a single game elimination tournament.

Last year Canada brought Donovan, Furlong, Warren, Bonk, Nelson and Lamoureux. They couldn’t make a pass out of their zone. Mateychuk was the only offensively skilled D and ended up trying to do way too much when he had the puck cause no one else could create anything.

The beat Finland 5-2, although many have called that team the worst Finland has brought in 20+ years. They lost to Sweden 2-0, and they lost 3-2 to the Czechs in the quarters. Those were the only games against decent competition.

Canada shouldn’t be trying to win 2-1 hockey games. They should be trying to win games 7-3.

I’ll be honest I forgot they hosted last year and actually lost to London in the semis of the OHL playoffs.

Dickinson and Schaeffer are both more than capable puck movers, and they do it without the risks associated with Parekh and Yakemchuk. But the real difference is the quality of forwards going between this year and last. The fire power Canada has is crazy this year, Canada will not be a low scoring team regardless of whether Parekh is there or not. Canada has 4 forwards over 2 point per game in the CHL going for crying out loud, and that’s not even including players like Yager, Catton, and Cowan. They will have no struggles producing even if the media is trying to drum up clicks currently.

 

[JPeeper]

I don’t think you understand what single game elimination means? Also Misa was an afterthought on that team last year, this year he’s been fantastic but team Canada gets the luxury of having to take 1-3 draft eligible players per year (and 3 is extremely rare which could happen this year), anyone who thought they were taking all of Schaefer, Martone, Misa, McKenna, and Ravensbergen were crazy. Canada likes taking an older team, it’s happened before and it’s happening again this year.

Ah yes, you can't be wrong so I must be the one who is wrong. Maybe look up how the Memorial Cup works before taking the high road, but I digress. Parekh not even getting an invite is ludicrous.

Just like Tanner Howe (who after the hattrick at the Teddy Bear game has 9 goals on the year) getting an invite, but Misa who has 25 goals in 25 games doesn't.

 

[HighLifeMan]

I mean you could easily make the argument that all three of Parekh, Morin and Mews are better players than the likes of Mynio, Allen, Gibson, Akey, Brunnicke, and Price.

As both a Canadian, and a Flames fan its certainly frustrating, and quite frankly puzzling not seeing some of those big names like Misa, Sennecke, and Parekh getting ignored but it ultimately doesn't mean anything long term.

It is what it is. Politics and relationships will always play a massive role in these processes.

 

[Some Other Flame]

Not making the team is one thing, not even getting an invite to camp is quite another. It reeks of 'smartest guy in the room' syndrome and everyone should know how that usually ends. It's the kind of ego where if a Dickenson or McKenna get injured, they'd just go with the next guy in camp, instead of the actual best player available

 

[Yepthatsme]

Ah yes, you can't be wrong so I must be the one who is wrong. Maybe look up how the Memorial Cup works before taking the high road, but I digress. Parekh not even getting an invite is ludicrous.

Just like Tanner Howe (who after the hattrick at the Teddy Bear game has 9 goals on the year) getting an invite, but Misa who has 25 goals in 25 games doesn't.

Sorry I already admitted my mistake above but I can say it again; I forgot Saginaw was the host team and didn’t have to win their way in, they lost to London in the OHL semi-finals before winning the grudge match for the memorial cup.

I mean I really doubt Howe makes it, but you do understand that he wasn’t picked because they think he’s a better goal scorer, right? Teams need role players, and Team Canada has always valued age and experience too. Martone is having an equivalent season to Misa and doesn’t project to be much more than a depth piece. This is the tournament of the 19 year olds, having 3 draft eligible skaters is already a very high total for Canada.

 

[Mobiandi]

I don’t know how Hockey Canada isn’t questioning everything they’ve been doing at the junior level and younger since witnessing this current American golden generation. Last year was embarrassing

 

[DFF]

No worries, it’s not always the best players that go

I mean Dube was selected twice and he turned out to be shit

Whoever did the selection is in love with London, what can you do

 

[Yepthatsme]

I don’t know how Hockey Canada isn’t questioning everything they’ve been doing at the junior level and younger since witnessing this current American golden generation. Last year was embarrassing

The Americans golden generation involves us winning 3 of the last 5 tournaments, 8 years since we have lost consecutive tournaments, and are in the middle of a 5 year stretch that is going to produce Bedard, Celebrini, Schaeffer, McKenna, and DuPont as the next generation of Canadian superstars. If this is what their golden generation is I hope it never ends.

 

[Bjornar Moxnes]

No worries, it’s not always the best players that go

I mean Dube was selected twice and he turned out to be shit

Whoever did the selection is in love with London, what can you do

Dubé is an awful human being, but was a fine player.

 

[DFF]

Dubé is an awful human being, but was a fine player.

We half agreed. He was not a fine player. Mediocre bottom 6 at best. There were players that turned out much better. It shows how much they know about characters and skills

Just random drawings with some extreme bias

 

[Siignal]

We half agreed. He was not a fine player. Mediocre bottom 6 at best. There were players that turned out much better. It shows how much they know about characters and skills

Just random drawings with some extreme bias

Dube was good until there was a career-ending lawsuit hanging over his head like the Sword of Damocles

 

[kyle44]

 

[Ace Rimmer]

 

[FLAMESFAN]

Not surprised, at least he got to take part in the tryout. Will do him well next year, maybe Mews will be there too.

 

[Dack]

I watched the two Usports games and I can't really fault them for not taking him, he had to have a great camp to make the team because him making it would mean HC had to admit they screwed up not having him there in the first place. He had a couple bad turnovers in the first game and got caught flat footed once. He wasn't terrible by any means but the margins are small and he had to knock their socks off for a shot at the team. In the 2nd game I think he'd already been cut but they thought it would be unfair to cut him without letting him play another game. He had like 8 total shifts, maybe 3 at 5v5. Most of his time was on a PP unit with guys who are unlikely to play PP during this tournament. It's hard to really get into the flow of the game when you don't play at all. Especially against Usports who were playing pretty tight checking grind it out hockey.

Steven Ellis who was at camp wrote this about his cut:

Zayne Parekh, D (Calgary Flames): Parekh was one of the later additions to this team, and after a good showing in the opening intrasquad scrimmage, it just looked like he tried to do too much with the puck. That got exposed in the first game when eh was outplayed by defense partner Sawyer Mynio, but then he just couldn’t get much generated in the second game. Parekh can do amazing things with the puck in the OHL, but the older, strong U SPORTS team made him pay.

Wheeler also at the camp, wrote:

I thought Parekh really struggled in battles with the bigger, heavier USports players in front of the net/in the corners, and he turned some pucks over. He needed to be one of the top D in camp to make the team after being a late invite and he just wasn’t at his best. His outlets were clean throughout camp, he scored Red’s second goal in the second scrimmage.

Oh well, I'm really glad he got the chance to at least be in the camp. Now he knows what to expect next year.