Who is Zayne Parekh as an NHL Player?

Zayne Parekh has emerged as a top defensive prospect for the 2024 NHL Draft and is getting a lot of elite comparisons as the season comes to an end. More on what role Parekh could fill at the NHL level, and if he can be that number one elite defenceman.

Saginaw Spirit defenceman Zayne Parekh has had a season for the record books as a draft-eligible player. He's broke many franchise records, and not only is he asserting himself as a top defenceman eligible for the 2024 NHL Draft — he is asserting himself as one of the best defensive prospects in recent years.

With 90 points in 63 games including 31 goals from the blue line, Parekh has been able to produce in any given situation this season. Right now, we know that Parekh is an elite junior hockey player, but will he be that at the next level?

This is a question that can only be answered in time, but it is a question that scouts will try to answer before the draft in June.

Zayne Parekh may just be that future number one offensive defenceman at the NHL level, and here's why.

All of Parekh's offensive tools are elite. His skating, hands, creativity, deceptiveness, shot, and manipulation are all at an advanced level. What makes him unique as a defenceman is that wide array of offensive tools that he can use from the back end. 

He never attacks in a straight line, and he never attacks the same way twice. Parekh can be the driver, he can be the support, or he can be the trigger man in the offensive zone — he can do it all.

When Parekh has the puck on his stick, there are very few players that can stop him. His puck control and evasiveness make him difficult to track and even more difficult to knock the puck off of. 

Parekh's got this sort of confident swag to his game that makes him fun to watch. He always seems to have a smile on his face too. He never backs down from a challenge, and even when it looks like the defence is going to shut him down, he finds a way. His spatial awareness and ability to find the soft areas of the ice is high end.

If Parekh hits his ceiling at the NHL level, he will be that number one defenceman. He will quarterback the power play and get the top matchups against.

In comparable terms, there are a lot of similarities between Parekh and Quinn Hughes of the Vancouver Canucks. Both defenders are high risk/high reward players, they aren't afraid of anything and they can drive offence in waves. They won't be super reliable on the defensive end, but they can do it all in the attacking zone.

The team that selects Zayne Parekh in the NHL Draft will be aiming for a future number one offensive defenceman — and that seems like a very high possibility. 

A player like Sam Dickinson will be taken because of his dependability and safe projection, but Zayne Parekh will be taken by a team looking to take a risk on defender with skyhigh offensive upside.