2024 DRAFT 9th Overall Zayne Parekh

[Fig]

I don't think the Flames want to make the mistake of promising him a spot next year, but I simply cannot see them not wanting him on the squad next year. He obviously has game-breaking skill and will sell tickets.

I think they just want to control the narrative to be that he came into camp, blew away the coaching staff and forced their hand. So I doubt there will be any indication of the Flames planning to have him on the team next year.

Probably trying to do earned not given which I understand, but there's really no options for him if he doesn't earn his roster spot outright.

 

[Zirakzigil]

Is anyone intelligent left at 960?

Pat is the only decent on there. Wes and Vickers are interesting as a rotation. I think it was Vickers who was pushing the Europe loan route. I believe he’s usually the one on top of prospects and the rules. Just seems fairly odd to push that option without having vetted it first.

Probably trying to do earned not given which I understand, but there's really no options for him if he doesn't earn his roster spot outright.

If he doesn’t deserve it he goes back to the OHL. Getting torched against NHL forwards would destroy his development far easier and quicker than sending him back down and saying figure out how to become an elite defender. He wasn’t remotely close to being ready last camp. Hopefully there is significant improvement this season. But Brew is a prime example of how hard the job to pro is. He struggled with the adjustment from the CHL to AHL. Jump to the NHL is even more massive.

 

[crackdown44]

The problem with him going back to the CHL is that I don’t really know how much he can shore up his defensive game there. Like he takes risks because he can get away with it because the competition is bad. Saginaw is also in a spot where that’s what they need from him to win games

Is it feasible to tell him to back off some pinches and work on defending better against guys that are no where near NHL level? At this point he might as well figure out what works and what doesn’t work at the NHL level

I’m not saying they should guarantee him a spot but if the alternative is playing guys like Miro/Bean/Hanley on a regular basis I don’t know why you wouldn’t keep him on. Unless he looks incredibly lost in camp and pre season

 

[Ledge And Dairy]

The problem with him going back to the CHL is that I don’t really know how much he can shore up his defensive game there. Like he takes risks because he can get away with it because the competition is bad. Saginaw is also in a spot where that’s what they need from him to win games

Is it feasible to tell him to back off some pinches and work on defending better against guys that are no where near NHL level? At this point he might as well figure out what works and what doesn’t work at the NHL level

I’m not saying they should guarantee him a spot but if the alternative is playing guys like Miro/Bean/Hanley on a regular basis I don’t know why you wouldn’t keep him on. Unless he looks incredibly lost in camp and pre season

He can't improve his defensive game there, he will be one of the older players in the league by then so physically he will be more mature than most people too. Players already struggle to stop him skill wise there, so there's quite literally nothing he can learn if he's physically too strong for the league too. The only way for him to improve at this point is to be challenged by better players.

If we need to rest him Hanley has proven he can play with Weegar

 

[Slurpeelover27]

Flames Mailbag: Could top prospect Parekh join Calgary's playoff push?

The vibes are high in Calgary on the heels of a three-game sweep of New York teams. Which means it's as good a time as any for Sportsnet's Pat Steinberg to open up the mailbag and talk all things Flames — including Zayne Parekh, Dustin Wolf and more.

www.sportsnet.ca

 

[Fig]

Y'know what I wonder might be possible that I don't think I've seen mentioned yet that's the best of both worlds? Try and get Parekh into half a dozen games this year with very little insulation and let him flounder.

Burn that NHL speed into his mind (a la Bennett, but cup of coffee max) and make him have an idea how hard he has to train to definitively take that spot in preseason.

 

[Volica]

He's going to be in the NHL next season.
Full stop.

This reminds me a lot of the Gaudreau/Tkachuk discussions that happened here like a decade ago. Where everyone was like 'they're probably not ready'.

He's going to have a role on this team next year. There's just no one blocking him worth keeping him in the CHL for. Know what I mean? There's no valid reason I see to be like 'he's not worth the potential mistakes he might make, because we have to keep Jake Bean or Miromanov in the lineup',

 

[Mobiandi]

Y'know what I wonder might be possible that I don't think I've seen mentioned yet that's the best of both worlds? Try and get Parekh into half a dozen games this year with very little insulation and let him flounder.

Burn that NHL speed into his mind (a la Bennett, but cup of coffee max) and make him have an idea how hard he has to train to definitively take that spot in preseason.

I don’t think we’ll see him in the regular season but if we make the playoffs, I think he might get a game or two against Winnipeg

 

[crackdown44]

He's going to be in the NHL next season.
Full stop.

This reminds me a lot of the Gaudreau/Tkachuk discussions that happened here like a decade ago. Where everyone was like 'they're probably not ready'.

He's going to have a role on this team next year. There's just no one blocking him worth keeping him in the CHL for. Know what I mean? There's no valid reason I see to be like 'he's not worth the potential mistakes he might make, because we have to keep Jake Bean or Miromanov in the lineup',

This is where I’m at too. If we were still in that era where we had like 4 top pairing D and a solid 3rd pair I suppose it could be justified but I’m not sure how anyone can look at the D core we’ve been trotting out and say he won’t have a spot

Does he still have to earn it? Of course. I’m just confident he’s smart enough to see the door is wide open and will prepare accordingly. It’s harder for defensemen for sure but he’s gotta get in as soon as possible to start figuring it out

Shelter the hell out of him early and gradually up his exposure. Generally that’s how it goes with young D like in their first year everyone is usually like wow then in their second year when they get sheltered less everyone tends to say they suck

I think he’s still 3-4 years off from being dominant in the NHL but there’s no reason not to start the process

 

[Lunatik]

I’m not sure how anyone can look at the D core we’ve been trotting out and say he won’t have a spot

Literally no one is saying this. The concern is throwing him in the deep end and him not being able to swim.

 

[Siignal]

Literally no one is saying this. The concern is throwing him in the deep end and him not being able to swim.

How do we define can't swim here? Thinking of Quinn Hughes - the kid will figure it out, just might take some time. Whether that increases our playoff chances is another thing. Might be best to wait until next year.

 

[Volica]

This is where I’m at too. If we were still in that era where we had like 4 top pairing D and a solid 3rd pair I suppose it could be justified but I’m not sure how anyone can look at the D core we’ve been trotting out and say he won’t have a spot

Does he still have to earn it? Of course. I’m just confident he’s smart enough to see the door is wide open and will prepare accordingly. It’s harder for defensemen for sure but he’s gotta get in as soon as possible to start figuring it out

Shelter the hell out of him early and gradually up his exposure. Generally that’s how it goes with young D like in their first year everyone is usually like wow then in their second year when they get sheltered less everyone tends to say they suck

I think he’s still 3-4 years off from being dominant in the NHL but there’s no reason not to start the process

If we were in the era where we had Gio, Teej, young Noah, Razzy; then yeah, I get it, no need to rush a 19 year old to the NHL when we're deep there.

We have 3 guys, and I honestly think that they'll trade Rasmus this offseason when they find out he's looking at the JC deal Washington just put together. We have Nacho, Bean, Miro and Pachal; 3 of them play every night. What's the worst that can happen here? Zayne struggles a bit and isn't great for the first 30 games of the year as he figures out the speed and he's in/out of the lineup? Big deal.

 

[Volica]

How do we define can't swim here? Thinking of Quinn Hughes - the kid will figure it out, just might take some time. Whether that increases our playoff chances is another thing. Might be best to wait until next year.

Quinn Hughes was a defensive dumpster fire that made Tanev look human on Vancouver. I turned out just fine in Vancouver; a couple years of some figuring it out... but the cream does rise to the top. If Parekh is as talented as I think a lot of are thinking he is, then there is nothing to worry about here.

 

[Yepthatsme]

If we were in the era where we had Gio, Teej, young Noah, Razzy; then yeah, I get it, no need to rush a 19 year old to the NHL when we're deep there.

We have 3 guys, and I honestly think that they'll trade Rasmus this offseason when they find out he's looking at the JC deal Washington just put together. We have Nacho, Bean, Miro and Pachal; 3 of them play every night. What's the worst that can happen here? Zayne struggles a bit and isn't great for the first 30 games of the year as he figures out the speed and he's in/out of the lineup? Big deal.

I mean the worst that can happen is he’s overwhelmed by the pace adjustment jumping from the NHL and can’t play his game, so he makes changes to his game to try and survive. Everyone’s favorite “coaching the talent out of him” that gets thrown around when players who aren’t ready just try to play low risk, low touch hockey and then have to try and learn to re-add their offensive game later. Second worst is he isn’t nearly ready for the physicality and gets a lower body injury that hampers his mobility (like what turned Valimaki from a promising top 4 defenseman to waiver fodder).

I’m on the side of give him any and every possibility to make the team, but let’s not pretend the only risk is he’s pulling the puck out of his net a lot. Stunting his development is a serious risk that has to be considered and weighed.

 

[Lunatik]

I mean the worst that can happen is he’s overwhelmed by the pace adjustment jumping from the NHL and can’t play his game, so he makes changes to his game to try and survive. Everyone’s favorite “coaching the talent out of him” that gets thrown around when players who aren’t ready just try to play low risk, low touch hockey and then have to try and learn to re-add their offensive game later. Second worst is he isn’t nearly ready for the physicality and gets a lower body injury that hampers his mobility (like what turned Valimaki from a promising top 4 defenseman to waiver fodder).

I’m on the side of give him any and every possibility to make the team, but let’s not pretend the only risk is he’s pulling the puck out of his net a lot. Stunting his development is a serious risk that has to be considered and weighed.

The worst that can happen is his confidence gets destroyed.

Also regarding Valimaki, he was playing well last year and even this year until he had a serious facial injury, where even the emergency care was a massive ordeal

 

[Mobiandi]

Confidence usually gets destroyed by coaching not by playing. Parekh will be fine if Huska doesn’t restrict him too much

Kylington’s confidence was in the gutter while being coached under Peters/Ward. And then Sutter brought the best out of him.

Conversely, Valimaki was feeling his best under Peters and then Sutter almost ended his NHL career.

 

[Yepthatsme]

The worst that can happen is his confidence gets destroyed.

Also regarding Valimaki, he was playing well last year and even this year until he had a serious facial injury, where even the emergency care was a massive ordeal

He was playing well enough for Utah, but mostly out of necessity as they had/have a horrific blue line. They wouldn’t have waived him if it was just bad play coming back from injury, especially considering their blue line is still pretty embarrassing. Just like how Hanley is playing well enough in the top 4 for us, but nobody is confusing him for a top 4 defenseman and he too would likely be on waivers if we improved the left side at all.

 

[Yepthatsme]

Confidence usually gets destroyed by coaching not by playing. Parekh will be fine if Huska doesn’t restrict him too much

Kylington’s confidence was in the gutter while being coached under Peters/Ward. And then Sutter brought the best out of him.

Conversely, Valimaki was feeling his best under Peters and then Sutter almost ended his NHL career.

Have you not played a sport, or got an early promotion at work? Being in a spot you are not ready for can floor your confidence and have you competely change your game/play style. All of the things you excel at no longer working can ruin how you see yourself. Look at a player like Bedard’s manneurisms this season and ask yourself if you think his coaches must just be mean to him. It’s a cop out saying it’s only the coaching, especially when we only have an outside perspective.

 

[Mobiandi]

Have you not played a sport, or got an early promotion at work? Being in a spot you are not ready for can floor your confidence and have you competely change your game/play style. All of the things you excel at no longer working can ruin how you see yourself. Look at a player like Bedard’s manneurisms this season and ask yourself if you think his coaches must just be mean to him. It’s a cop out saying it’s only the coaching, especially when we only have an outside perspective.

And you believe that early hiccups in an unfamiliar situation usually spiral out of control to the point where things become unsalvagable?

Parekh has gotten to where he is not just because he has otherworldly skill, but because he has the confidence to execute his moves. You have to have that self-belief to have such a strong season because it’s not like he’s getting by on his size or his teammates. He’ll carry that on to the NHL. Valimaki had it too before all those injuries and he looked on track for his goal to be a full-time NHLer in his D+2 season.

Head coaches, on the other hand, have a shorter shelf life than an ELC. It’s not their responsibility to ensure that prospects develop well in the league because the NHL is not a developmental league. And rookie head coaches are a notoriously selfish bunch because all they want is to gain access to the old boys’ club.

Do you think Geoff Ward, Glen Gulutzan, and even someone like Jay Woodcroft will ever hear their phone ring with a HC job offer again? Once you’re out, you’re probably done. And Ryan Huska, presumably in the final year of his contract will be working to ensure he might get another HC job in a few years time if this doesn’t work out. He’ll have no obligation to see to Parekh’s development and that’s more of a concern than whether his confidence would be shattered under sheltered minutes.

 

[Yepthatsme]

And you believe that early hiccups in an unfamiliar situation usually spiral out of control to the point where things become unsalvagable?

Parekh has gotten to where he is not just because he has otherwordly skill, but because he has the confidence to execute his moves. You have to have that self-belief to have such a strong season because it’s not like he’s getting by on his size or his teammates. He’ll carry that on to the NHL. Valimaki had it too before all those injuries and he looked on track for his goal to be a full-time NHLer in his D+2 season.

Head coaches, on the other hand, have a shorter shelf life than an ELC. It’s not their responsibility to ensure that prospects develop well in the league because the NHL is not a developmental league. And rookie head coaches are a notoriously selfish bunch because all they want is to gain access to the old boys’ club.

Do you think Geoff Ward, Glen Gulutzan, and even someone like Jay Woodcroft will ever hear their phone ring with a HC job offer again? Once you’re out, you’re probably done. And Ryan Huska, presumably in the final year of his contract will be working to ensure he might get another HC job in a few years time if this doesn’t work out. He’ll have no obligation to see to Parekh’s development and that’s more of a concern than whether his confidence would be shattered under sheltered minutes.

It very easily could, and that’s what the entire definition of a rushed prospect is? Like this isn’t a new concept. This example isn’t Parekh struggling for the first 10 games before figuring it out. This is keeping him in the NHL whether he’s ready or not for a full season, where 90% of what he’s used to being able to do will no longer fly until he gets quicker, stronger, and used to the pace. Maybe that does happen after game 10, but he is extremely young and still not the strongest physically, and he’s about to see a huge jump in competition. It’s just as likely he follows the Korchinski path and gets steam rolled in his minutes, and that very well could set him back in his development. Especially as a player who thrives on taking risks, if they end up in the back of you net much more often than they work he could stop taking them altogether.

You went off on a mass tangent there that I won’t touch, but baseline is the opinion that a players confidence has not much to do with their performance and it’s almost always coaching is widely off base. Confidence is much more tied to performance than mentorship. If you were tasked with designing the blueprints for the new arena start to finish knowing what you know now, and had everyone close to you telling you it was going to go great, would you be confident in your abilities to design and build an arena?

 

[Fig]

How do we define can't swim here? Thinking of Quinn Hughes - the kid will figure it out, just might take some time. Whether that increases our playoff chances is another thing. Might be best to wait until next year.

I think the wording could be refined further.

It's more like, concerns that the current suggestions offer no comfortable back up plan if Parekh flounders (ie: Not good enough for NHL, too good for OHL).

It'd be a repeat of similar concerns on the development of Bennett.

 

[Lunatik]

I think the wording could be refined further.

It's more like, concerns that the current suggestions offer no comfortable back up plan if Parekh flounders (ie: Not good enough for NHL, too good for OHL).

It'd be a repeat of similar concerns on the development of Bennett.

I'd look more at Sven Baertchi. He was gifted a roster spot but had so many holes in his game that when they finally did send him down his confidence was gone.

I'm not opposed to Parekh getting a spot, but it needs to be conditional, he needs to be aware that at a certain point they will pull the plug and send him back to the OHL if they feel he's too overwhelmed.

Call it the Draisaitl approach.

 

[Mobiandi]

It very easily could, and that’s what the entire definition of a rushed prospect is? Like this isn’t a new concept. This example isn’t Parekh struggling for the first 10 games before figuring it out. This is keeping him in the NHL whether he’s ready or not for a full season, where 90% of what he’s used to being able to do will no longer fly until he gets quicker, stronger, and used to the pace. Maybe that does happen after game 10, but he is extremely young and still not the strongest physically, and he’s about to see a huge jump in competition. It’s just as likely he follows the Korchinski path and gets steam rolled in his minutes, and that very well could set him back in his development. Especially as a player who thrives on taking risks, if they end up in the back of you net much more often than they work he could stop taking them altogether.

You went off on a mass tangent there that I won’t touch, but baseline is the opinion that a players play has not much to do with their confidence and it’s almost always coaching is widely off base.

I don’t even understand why you’re bringing the Hawks into this. They’ve been spiralling for 8 years as a basement dweller. We haven’t even come close to having a losing culture like that permeate and create pressure on our prospects

Many guys eventually find their way in the NHL. Rushed prospects lose their confidence because they get lost in the shuffle once the coach loses faith in them. Then a change of scenary happens (Kakko et al.)

Tkachuk had the numbers in his first nine games but he looked slow and unable to keep up. I expected him to be sent down but the team stuck with him and he was put into a position to succeed with Backlund and Frolik for a strong rookie year. If we put Parekh next to Jake Bean for 50 games, then that will hurt his confidence. If he gets time with Weegar or Bahl, then it’s worth a shot to see what he can do

 

[Fig]

I'd look more at Sven Baertchi. He was gifted a roster spot but had so many holes in his game that when they finally did send him down his confidence was gone.

I'm not opposed to Parekh getting a spot, but it needs to be conditional, he needs to be aware that at a certain point they will pull the plug and send him back to the OHL if they feel he's too overwhelmed.

Call it the Draisaitl approach.

Sven was a weird situation of forcing a square peg round hole though. He was forced to play a game he wasn't well suited for and he broke as a result. I trust Huska, especially since he's great at dmen, wouldn't do that to Parekh.

Draisaitl I sorta agree, minus he should have been sent back earlier. Albeit I'm loathe to say that we should copy some form of Oilers player development. I'm curious how they developed him when they sent him down? Just straight up things like strength training and skating coach? Or did they ask him to practice certain skills at C when he was sent down?

 

[Lunatik]

Sven was a weird situation of forcing a square peg round hole though. He was forced to play a game he wasn't well suited for and he broke as a result. I trust Huska, especially since he's great at dmen, wouldn't do that to Parekh.

Draisaitl I sorta agree, minus he should have been sent back earlier. Albeit I'm loathe to say that we should copy some form of Oilers player development. I'm curious how they developed him when they sent him down? Just straight up things like strength training and skating coach? Or did they ask him to practice certain skills at C when he was sent down?

Obviously I don't know for sure, but generally when a player is sent back to Junior, the NHL club gives them a list of things they'd like them to work on and then check in with the player periodically.

For Parekh, the approach we should take is... give him 9 games, make sure he knows that is all he's guaranteed... if there is something there, keep him up and let the ELC start, with teh caveat that if he starts looking overwhelmed, they pull the plug and send him down... hell, I don't even care if it's after 60 games and it counts as an accrued season, he needs to earn it and maintain it.