Zayne Parekh #19 (Natalie Shaver/OHL Images)
The Ontario Hockey League's Saginaw Spirit are a must-watch team. Whether you want to watch the potential first overall pick in the upcoming NHL draft, Michael Misa, or watch the incredibly offensive gifted defenseman Zayne Parekh, the records those two are recording this season are exhausting.
Calgary Flames' 2024 ninth overall pick Parekh is seen as the frontrunner to win the OHL Defenseman of the Year in back-to-back seasons.
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The OHL recently voted him their Defenseman of the Month for February, after posting 31 points across 14 games, ten of which were multi-point games.
Calgary Flames fans must be licking their lips watching what their first-rounder is doing, and also wondering how he wasn't selected to represent Team Canada at the previous World Juniors tournament.
On Sunday afternoon in North Bay, the Spirit defenseman made history, becoming the first OHL defenseman to record multiple 30-goal seasons in the modern era.
Parekh joins the legendary Bobby Orr as the only two defensemen in OHL/OHA history to record multiple 30-goal campaigns. Orr achieved this accomplishment with the Oshawa Generals back in 1964-66.
Parekh's late third-period goal capped off another four-point performance, matching the four points he racked up in Saginaw's previous game against the Sudbury Wolves.
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Parekh has now matched his points total from last year (96) in 11 fewer games. He's recorded 30 goals and 66 assists for 96 points in 55 games this season and is a +41.
The last time an OHL defenseman put up 100 points in a season was Ryan Ellis. As a member of the Windsor Spitfires in the 2010-11 season, Ellis recorded 24 goals and 76 assists for 100 points on the dot in 58 games.
Parekh surely will eclipse the century point-mark this season and with how Saginaw is playing, he may very well do so in their next game on Wednesday, Mar. 5 against Flint.
If Parekh returns to the OHL for the 2025-26 season, he will have a chance at history.
Parekh currently sits seventh all-time in OHL goals by a defenseman. Bobby Orr is the only defenseman to ever score 100+ goals in OHL/OHA history. With Parekh 16 goals away, he could easily do that in one more season.