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OHL Saginaw Spirit

Zayne Parekh Becomes Highest NHL Pick in Spirit History

June 28, 2024 - Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Saginaw Spirit News Release


Las Vegas, Nev. - Spirit defenseman and reigning Defenseman of the Year in both the OHL and CHL, Zayne Parekh, heard his name called Friday night at the 2024 NHL Entry Draft. With the ninth overall selection, Parekh was drafted by the Calgary Flames to become the highest-selected Spirit player in team history.

"I can't get a smile off my face, I feel great," said Parekh. "Leading up to the pick, I had a feeling I might end up in Calgary. Those 30 seconds before the pick, I kind of knew and it turned out great."

Parekh surpasses Cole Perfetti (10th Overall, WPG, 2020) and Pavel Mintyukov (10th Overall, ANA, 2022) for the title of highest Spirit pick. He led all CHL defensemen in points during the 2023-24 campaign with 96 (33G, 63A). This spring, he became the first player in team history to win the Max Kaminsky Trophy as OHL Defenseman of the Year. He achieved the same status on June 1st when he beat the WHL's Denton Mateychuk and QMJHL's Vsevolod Komarov to be named CHL Defenseman of the Year.

Parekh will depart for Calgary in the coming days to begin the acclimation process with his new team. He will join the Flames for his first development camp later this summer. In an interesting twist, Parekh's brother Isa also received an invite to Flames development camp just hours prior to their selection of Zayne.

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