Zayne Parekh won the unofficial competition for first which OHL defender would be the first taken in the NHL draft.

With the 9th overall pick in the 2024 draft the Calgary Flames selected Zayne Parekh from the Memorial Cup champion Saginaw Spirit. 

The young defender, freshly clad in the bright red jersey of the Flames, smiled widely as he stood on the stage. 

He was the third defenseman off the board behind Artyom Levshunov and Carter Yakemchuk.

Calgary drafted an elite offensive defenseman who some have said may be the most electric player in the draft. He is an excellent skater who uses his edges to outmaneuver defenders and create space for his incredible shot.  

Parekh was the highest scoring defenseman in the CHL last season scoring 33 goals. 

He is also a player with above average vision. As a high-level scoring threat Parekh often draws defenders in order to exposes defensive gaps and set up his teammates. 

Parekh recorded 63 assists for a total on 96 points making him far and away the top scoring defender in the OHL. As a result, he was named the OHL's Most Outstanding Defender and the CHL Defenseman of the Year. 

Parekh plays a unique style that is offensively focused. Some have wondered whether he can convert that style to the next level. 

"I believe in the way I play obviously," responded Parekh when posed the question by Jeff Marek, "I think it's a translatable game." 

Clearly Parekh is committed to his style of play, and there is no doubt that is has been incredibly effective for him throughout his OHL career.  

During his rookie season, he broke the record for highest scoring OHL rookie defender scoring 21 goals and 37 points.

Parekh is also a right-handed defender. Elite right-handed defenders are considered difficult to find in the NHL. This makes them incredibly valuable in the draft. All of the top three defenders off the board were right handed.

The combination of his natural skill, elite offensive ability and right handedness make it clear why Parekh was a top-10 pick in the draft.

The Calgary flames finished 24th in the NHL last season and were in the bottom half in terms of goals for. Adding Parekh to their blue line will certainly help Calgary boost those offensive numbers. 

Although Parekh said that he was not worried about any sort of bragging rights related to which OHL defender went first in the draft, it must be nice to have that accolade added to his long list of accomplishments. 

Calgary Flames fans should be excited about getting the premiere offensive defenseman in the NHL draft. It will now be up to Parekh to break his way into a Calgary lineup that will certainly benefit from his addition.