NHL Debut: Zayne Parekh (Apr. 17, 2025)
Saginaw Spirit star, Memorial Cup champion and former OHL Defenceman of the Year Zayne Parekh made his NHL debut with the Calgary Flames on Thursday at the age of 19, scoring his first career NHL goal in the club’s 5-1 road win over the Los Angeles Kings.
Parekh scored Calgary’s fourth goal of the night, coming on an assist from Mikael Backlund 8:24 into the third period as he tipped-home a low shot from the point. Parekh wore #89 and saw 20:31 of ice time, finishing with a plus-3 rating.
The Nobleton, Ont. native was selected by Calgary with the ninth overall pick of the 2024 NHL Draft after he helped guide the Saginaw Spirit to a Memorial Cup on home ice last summer. Parekh registered 33 goals and 96 assists in 2023-24 to earn OHL Defenceman of the Year honours, returning to finish with 107 points (33-74–107) over 61 games. He’s the ninth defenceman in OHL history to record 100+ points in a season and the first to do it in 14 years since Windsor’s Ryan Ellis in 2011. Also of note, Parekh is the first OHL defender since Bobby Orr (Oshawa, 1965, 1966) to record back-to-back 30-goal seasons.
Thursday’s win was the Flames’ season finale as they came up just short in their quest for the playoffs. Parekh ends the year on a high note, entering 2025-26 with the prospect of potentially cracking Calgary’s lineup out of training camp in the fall.
— Calgary Flames (@NHLFlames) April 18, 2025
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