CALGARY — Zayne Parekh didn’t know why his agent, Vlad Spektor, needed to talk to him on Thursday evening last week. He had been through enough stress over the last two months.
Parekh played through a banner season with the OHL Saginaw Spirit, culminating in a Memorial Cup win. He knew there were improvements needed for him to make the next step. And then there was the pressure that came with anticipating where he’d be taken during the NHL Draft in Las Vegas. Relief set in once Parekh pulled on the Calgary Flames jersey at Sphere after being the No. 9 pick. But one week from that night, days into development camp with his new team, he was on a video chat with his father, Spektor and NHL agent Dan Milstein, the CEO of Gold Star Sports Management, when Milstein said Spektor had an important question to ask his client.
Advertisement
“He’s like ‘You ready to be an NHL player?’” Parekh said. “I kind of just lit up. A smile on my face. It felt really good.”
The next day, Parekh was one of three Flames prospects shepherded into a small meeting room camped above one of the many ice sheets at Winsport — the site of the team’s development camp. Parekh, fellow first-round pick Matvei Gridin and fellow defensive prospect Etienne Morin all signed their entry-level contracts.
Welcome to the C of Red boys 🔥 pic.twitter.com/lsJUzIQKFm
— Calgary Flames (@NHLFlames) July 5, 2024
Parekh didn’t waste time turning heads at development camp with spin passes and behind-the-back plays, prompting oohs and aahs from fans in attendance. The 18-year-old is already a key cog in the Flames’ rebuilding future and the most obvious sign of a position group that has seen changes over the last year thanks to trades and draft picks.
This time last year, the Flames were excited about the newly drafted Morin and Jérémie Poirier as blueliners. Ilya Solovyov and Yan Kuznetsov were also among the standouts in the system. But the team still lacked quality, high-grade prospects all around. Since then, the Flames have added Hunter Brzustewicz and Joni Jurmo from the Elias Lindholm trade and Artem Grushnikov from the Chris Tanev trade ahead of the deadline.
| PLAYER | AGE | HOW THEY WERE ACQUIRED |
|---|---|---|
19 | Via trade w/ VAN in Jan. 2024 | |
19 | No. 48 pick (2023) | |
22 | Via trade w/ VAN in Jan. 2024 | |
18 | No. 9 pick (2024) | |
22 | No. 72 pick (2020) | |
22 | No. 50 pick (2020) | |
23 | No. 205 pick (2020) | |
21 | Via trade w/ DAL in Feb. 2024 |
In addition to Parekh, there’s OHL defenceman Henry Mews, who transitioned from forward to defence before the Flames made him a third-round pick at this year’s draft. The Flames also used their final 2024 pick on WHL defenceman Eric Jamieson.
“Within a year, it’s crazy,” Morin said. “It’s a lot better. I don’t want to be cocky and say I’m a super great player. But just Zayne coming in, Hunter coming in, and a few other guys coming in too, it’s just going to make it so much better for the future.”
Advertisement
When The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler ranked the Flames 15th among NHL teams’ prospect pools in February, only four defencemen made his top-15 team prospects list. That number will grow, and you can make an argument that Parekh’s skill set and ability already make him the Flames’ best prospect overall. When you account for Parekh, Brzustewicz and Mews alongside Morin and Poirier, the Flames suddenly have a number of defencemen with upside in their system.
“They’re highly offensive, high-skilled guys and they’re hard to find in the NHL when you look around,” Flames amateur director of scouting Tod Button said.
“When good players like them get drafted, they see it as competition,” Morin said. “But I see them as my future teammates. I just want to make them learn what I know. I’m sure they know a lot in hockey but I want to make them learn. I came here at the end of the season, I had a pro game, too. I know what’s it a bit like, so I want to make them learn and hopefully I’ll be on the same line as them.”
The attention will burn brighter on the offensive-minded defencemen, but the Flames made sure to add more defensive-minded prospects these last few months as well. The Flames also paired them with their forward-thinking rearguards during their Saturday scrimmage. Parekh, for example, was slotted with the bigger, more defensive Grushnikov. Meanwhile, Brzustewicz and Jurmo were paired together. The two combined for a goal during the scrimmage.
“When we made the trades, we were looking for young prospects and we hadn’t drafted a lot of D,” Flames GM Craig Conroy said. “To be able to bring in more D and different types of D, they’re going to mix and match together well. Some are offensive, some are defensive. And to play them together, you’re thinking ‘OK, that could be a good pair for the next 10 years’ in your mind when you’re sitting up there watching. And that’s what it was all about. Bringing in more guys and building that core group that you can have moving forward.”
Advertisement
The NHL ETA timelines vary for each player. Brzustewicz and Jurmo were among the most pro-ready defenders at camp and should both be options for the Calgary Wranglers this coming season. Jurmo told The Athletic he’ll work on his explosiveness, movement in small spaces and conditioning this offseason. He even caught Conroy’s attention during development camp with his offensive instincts. Those same instincts are a bit more present in Brzustewicz — who is preparing himself to play pro hockey in Calgary whether he makes the Flames or not — but he’s also making it clear he can be used in any situation the Flames need him in.
Morin won’t be 20 until next March, meaning he’s likely destined for another season in the QMJHL. Mews will return to the Ottawa 67’s of the OHL as he continues his development, modelling his game after NHL defencemen Brandon Montour and Adam Fox.
“Once I transition to the pro game, those are guys I’m going to be able to play like and be like at the NHL level,” Mews said. “I’m going to be able to play every situation, whatever the team wants me to do.”
Similarly to Morin, it’s either NHL games or junior for Parekh. The Flames would be wise to let him develop as much as he needs. When asked what he needed to improve upon for the rest of the summer, he sighed and said “everything” before mentioning he needed to add up to 10 pounds. He’ll work with a skating coach as well.
But after a long OHL season and some stressful days waiting to be drafted, Parekh could use a break.
“I got to decompress obviously and take a week,” Parekh said. “But I’m just trying to be the best version of myself. At the end of the day, I’m trying to be the best hockey player I can be as much as I can in the time I’m here. No matter who I’m playing with, those are my brothers. This group of guys, I hope I get to grow with them throughout the next couple of years.”
It is on the Flames — as well as the players themselves — to develop their prospects to get them to the next level. While their defence has seen improvement, the Flames will need more quality at forward. They did add players like Gridin, Andrew Basha and Luke Misa to their prospect pool, but the Flames still need centres to properly bolster their forward core. It’s an issue that could gain special attention ahead of next year’s draft. In the meantime, the Flames have a foundation brewing with their blue line as they embark on their rebuild.
(Photo of Zayne Parekh: Candice Ward / Getty Images)
