In 2024, Ottawa and Calgary both drafted right-shot defensemen in the top 10. We check in on their progress.
When the Ottawa Senators and Calgary Flames both chose skilled right-shot defensemen in the top 10 of the 2024 NHL Draft, just two picks apart, it wasn't out of line for their fan bases to think that both young men might be suiting up regularly by now. And comparing the early progress of Carter Yakemchuk (7th overall) and Zayne Parekh (9th overall) makes for an intriguing storyline as the two clubs met on Thursday night.
But only Parekh, though he was a healthy scratch on Thursday, is playing in the NHL right now. He also had a better year in junior last season, and Central Scouting even liked Parekh better on draft day, all of which might have fans in Knee Jerk Nation wondering if the Sens should have taken him and not Yakemchuk.
So let's get into it. Let's check on the progress of each player and start the process of deciding if the Senators made the right pick. Spoiler: the process will likely take the rest of this decade. It certainly won't conclude today in these scribblings.
In 2024, the Sens wanted a right-shot defenseman, and based on the pre-draft rankings, the only real options when they picked at seventh overall were Yakemchuk and Parekh. They also could have turned to lefties like Sam Dickinson or Zeev Buium, who are also in the NHL right now. But let's stay focused on the coveted right D position, which the Sens have said repeatedly, "you can never have enough of."
NHL Central Scouting had Parekh ranked 3rd among North American defensemen, while Yakemchuk was ranked 5th. But Central Scouting doesn't have a crystal ball, and that's not a big separation.
Ottawa's scouting team, led by Don Boyd and GM Steve Staios, had a strong fondness for size in 2024, which made Yakemchuk, who's got 3 inches and 40 pounds on Parekh, the far more attractive choice – at least to them. So they left Parekh's name on the table.
Just as interesting is the view of the different developmental paths each team has chosen. Parekh is in the show, and Yakemchuk is not. But those are choices heavily influenced by team circumstances.
For one, Ottawa is a better team and already pretty deep at right D. The Sens made the playoffs last spring, while Calgary missed for the third straight season. And with their 2-8-1 start, the worst in the NHL, they're already dropping some pretty strong clues about their probable fate in 2025-26.
So talent-wise, despite his Thursday scratch, the Flames probably need Parekh right now more than Ottawa needs Yakemchuk at the moment.
Just as importantly, maybe more so, Parekh doesn't turn 20 until February. If he didn't make the Flames earlier this month, he'd have to return for yet another year of junior. He also couldn't play in the NCAA after signing his three-year, entry-level contract last summer. Given the developmental choice of probably stagnating for another year in the OHL and learning on the NHL job, the Flames chose the latter.
So Parekh has played in nine of the Flames’ 11 games so far, averaging over 15 minutes of ice time per night, getting some power play looks, and logging just one assist.
Yakemchuk has 4 points in 8 games down in the minors, playing big minutes for the Belleville Senators of the American Hockey League with minimal pressure. He's right where he belongs, learning and making his rookie mistakes in a place where the stakes aren't nearly as high.
Lastly, when glancing at last season's developmental progress, Parekh appears to have the edge there, too.
In his draft year, Parekh had 33 goals and 96 points for the Saginaw Spirit. He returned last season to work on rounding out his game and posted 33 goals again, but bumped up his assist totals and finished with `107 points.
In Yakemchuk's draft year, he had 31 goals and 71 points for the Calgary Hitmen. When he returned to Calgary last season, his numbers tumbled to 17 goals and 49 points, albeit in 10 fewer games.
But to counter those discrepancies, who's to say Parekh embraced trying to learn to play the right way in the same manner Yakemchuk did? Maybe one player took his NHL team's guidance to heart while the other defaulted back to what he's always done, like a golfer after his first lesson.
So to recap:
- Central Scouting liked Parekh better than Yakemchuk in 2024. Verdict: Meh. Doesn't matter. And they didn't like him that much better.
- Parekh returned to junior after his draft year and improved his numbers. Yakemchuk did the same, and his numbers worsened. Verdict: Not necessarily a harbinger. If anything, it's a sign that one guy was working hard on changing something.
- Parekh is in the NHL, and Yakemchuk is not. Verdict: Reverse the teams and player ages, and it's Yakemchuk who's playing in the NHL right now.
History may one day show that the Senators should have chosen Parekh instead, but it won't be anytime soon, and certainly not because of any of the testimonies listed above.
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