#CHLStats: Zayne Parekh becomes the first CHL defenceman in 24 years to register multiple 30-goal seasons
By notching his 30th goal of the 2024-25 campaign, Saginaw Spirit defenceman and Calgary Flames prospect Zayne Parekh (30G-66A in 55 GP) joined some elite company on Sunday – not just in Ontario Hockey League (OHL) history, but among the all-time ranks of the Canadian Hockey League (CHL).
Specifically, as he lit the lamp during the Spirit’s 8-3 victory over the North Bay Battalion, Parekh became just the second defenceman in OHL/OHA history with multiple 30-goal seasons, following in the footsteps of Oshawa Generals alumnus Bobby Orr who achieved the feat in 1966 (34 goals in 1964-65 & 38 goals in 1965-66).
Moreover, Parekh also became just the second defenceman in the CHL to have registered multiple 30-goal seasons in the 21st century, doing so after Rouyn-Noranda Huskies (QMJHL) alumnus Jonathan Gauthier scored 30-plus goals over consecutive campaigns in 1999-00 and 2000-01. Over the last 25 years, as of Sunday, no CHL defenceman had achieved this feat outside of Gauthier and Parekh.
The reigning OHL and CHL Defenceman of the Year also joined a small company of blueliners in CHL history to have broken the 30-goal plateau on more than one occasion. In addition to the likes of Bobby Orr and Jonathan Gauthier, Parekh joined other defencemen such as Cornwall Royals (QMJHL) alumnus David Hazard and Kamloops Blazers (WHL) alumnus Greg Hawgood to have put together a pair of 30-plus goal campaigns.
On top of posting his 30th goal of the year on Sunday, Parekh also tallied his 96th point of the 2024-25 campaign – matching the career-high of 96 points he set over 66 games last season. With eight contests left on Saginaw’s schedule, the 19-year-old from Nobleton, Ont., appears poised to reach 100 points. If he were to break the 100-point plateau this season, Parekh would be the first defenceman in both the OHL and CHL to achieve the feat since Windsor Spitfires alumnus Ryan Ellis did so back in 2010-11.
Only four defencemen in the CHL have recorded 100 points in a single season over the last 25 years, including Ellis. They are Michel Périard (Rimouski Océanic / QMJHL – 100 points in 1999-00), Marc-André Bergeron (Shawinigan Cataractes / QMJHL – 101 points in 2000-01), Danny Groulx (Victoriaville Tigres / QMJHL – 112 points in 2001-02), and Ryan Ellis (Windsor Spitfires / OHL – 101 points in 2010-11).
On pace for 110 points this season, Parekh will look to become just the fifth CHL rearguard to attain 100 points since 2000 over the final weeks of the 2024-25 campaign.
Having led all CHL defencemen in scoring a year ago, Parekh once again ranks first among blueliners across the CHL with 30 goals and 96 points in 2024-25.
Last season, in addition to helping the Saginaw Spirit to their first-ever Memorial Cup title, Parekh became the first Spirit player to be named the CHL Defenceman of the Year. At year’s end, the Spirit blueliner was selected to the CHL’s First All-Star Team after amassing 96 points (33G-63A) in 66 games in 2023-24. By going ninth overall to the Calgary Flames at the 2024 NHL Draft last summer, Parekh became the highest-drafted player in Saginaw Spirit history.
The 18-year-old was originally taken by Saginaw with the 19th overall pick of the 2022 OHL Priority Selection. During his rookie season in 2022-23, Parekh scored 21 goals, the most ever scored by a 16-year-old rookie OHL blueliner, surpassing the previous mark of 19 set by Rick Corriveau of the 1988 London Knights. Parekh has also enjoyed success internationally over his career as he helped Canada win gold at the 2023 Hlinka Gretzky Cup. Parekh also previously competed for Team Red at the 2024 Kubota CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game in Moncton, N.B., in January of last year.
