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Prospect Watch: Zayne Parekh
If there is one thing this upcoming NHL Draft class of 2024 has plenty of, it would be quality defensemen. But, as good as this next crop of young blue liners is that includes Sam Dickenson, Artyom Levshunov, Aron Kiviharju, Adam Jiricek, and Henry Mews, there is one name I feel whose play this upcoming season will see his stock rise potentially above most of if not all of those names, and that player is none other than Zayne Parekh of the Ontario Hockey Leagues’ Saginaw Spirt.
And here’s why. Not only is Parekh one of the smoothest skating/stick-handling defensemen I’ve seen come out in some time, but he also possesses the rare scoring ability very few defensive prospects have EVER shown at his age! To prove this, if you look at every defensemen’s draft minus one season in the modern era, you’ll see that at just 16 years of age, Zayne was able to tie the great Drew Doughty for most goals ever scored by a defenseman the year before they were draft eligible with each having 21 lamp lighters to their credit.
Now, if you’re like me when I first stumbled upon some tape of this young player, you’ll have probably noticed after watching the video above that Zayne was able to achieve this unbelievable feat of scoring 20-plus goals last season because he possesses the type of aggressiveness needed to jump up into the offensive zone and get involved in most plays. So much so that on more than one occasion, I saw Parekh being the one to drive the play behind the opposition’s net. Now, usually, this would be a big no-no for a defender. But when you are coaching a guy who can load up and release the type of wrist shot from anywhere on the ice that creates bottle rockets (hockey term for scoring a goal that sends the goalies’ water bottle flying), then I guess you just sit back and let him make you look good.
In saying that, with this right-hand-shot defender’s current height and weight only reaching 6’0 and 180 pounds, it has drawn Zayne some very favorable comparisons to that of the New York Rangers’ Adam Fox. Now, although, I don’t necessarily disagree that this player comparison could one day be his ceiling. I think it is a lot to put on Zayne currently.
Therefore, in my mind a more realistic comparison of a player with almost identical attributes and a similar projected growth track would be that of the New Jersey Devils 2022 prospect Seamus Casey. Casey, if you remember, was one of my favorite defenders from the 2022 draft class because, like Parekh, Seamus excels at the art of effortlessly maneuvering his way around the ice while utilizing his strong stick handling ability to help him create quality offensive chances for his team.
Now, while these stats may be impressive, Zayne’s game does not come without flaws. Despite all the points he was able to score last season, Parekh only managed to finish the season with a +3 average. So, to improve upon that this upcoming season (like Seamus did last season while playing for the University of Michigan Wolverines), Parekh will need to figure out how to harness his urges to show off his offensive abilities.
After all, a defender’s primary duty is to prevent the opposition from scoring. Only after managing to do that should a blue liner shift his focus to the offensive side of things.
If he does, there is no doubt in this writer’s mind that Zayne will find himself playing on the same line as the prize of the 2025 draft, center Michael Misa. When given that opportunity, he should not only be able to double his point production from last year but also maintain a much-improved plus-minus rating heading into next summer’s selection process.
Flyers Camp Battles that are Set to Ensue
Photo Credit: Flyers PR Staff
With the reality of summer now slowing coming to an end, we must now look to the positives to fight back the onslaught of our impending Seasonal Affective Disorder. To do so, I can think of two things in particular that should help with just that. One is that your kids will be returning to school soon and, therefore, will be forced to stop raiding your pantry. And two being that a new NHL season will soon commence.
But as we all know, before it can, the Flyers must first hold a camp to see who will make the team this season. That said, this year will surely be interesting, given that there will not be as many familiar faces around. Seeing that the teams’ new general manager Danny Briere let James van Riemsdyk walk and sent both defenseman Ivan Provorov and center Kevin Hayes packing this summer.
The good thing about this new administration, though, is unlike its predecessor, they have not gone out and signed a bunch of underachieving, over-the-hill players who are well past their prime to one-year deals. Instead, this new regime has left a few spots open to allow some of their budding prospects the chance to potentially make the Orange and Blacks opening night roster.
OFFENSE
In saying that, one particular battle I feel you should watch out for once the team laces them up is wing position—Manly between 25-year-old Wade Allison and 21-year-old Tyson Foerster. Now, nobody is questioning Wade’s heart or the enormous effort he expels every time he touches the ice. This being especially true after he had the stones to fight and win a bout against the Rangers’ 6’8 prospect Matthew Rempe last preseason. But sadly, when you play the game with this reckless abandon approach, it often leads to injuries. Something Allison knows all too well, given the immense amount of time he has had to spend on the Injured Reserve (IR) during both his colligate and professional careers. So, I believe it is his inability to stay in the Flyers lineup that just may lead to his ultimate demise. While Wade still shows promise, the fact that he is a 25-year-old, former second-round pick in the last year of his contract who still has yet to solidify his role on the team is a bit unsettling.
Especially since the Flyers have a 21-year-old winger in Tyson Foerster, who Philadelphia took in the first round of the 2020 draft that is already appearing to be ready to challenge him for the spot; if you compare the two, Allison played in 60 games for the Flyers last season where he was able to amass just 15 points during that time—a 0.25 point per game average. On the other hand, Foerster led all Phantoms in points last year, scoring 20 goals and 48 points in 66 games played. This kind of point production not only led to him being picked to be a member of the AHL All-Star festivities last season but garnered him the opportunity to play up with the big club in eight games towards the end of the season, where he was able to net an incredible three goals and four assists for seven points in only eight games played with the Flyers last season. So, I ask which would you prefer? A player who scores 0.25 percent of the time like Allison, or a kid whose shot allowed him to make the most of his chances last season, maintaining a 0.875 point per game pace while playing up with the Flyers?
DEFENSE
On the blue line, there have been some changes as well. As veterans, Justin Braun (who just retired) and Tony DeAngelo (who finished with a team-worst -27 average last season) are no longer with the club.
Their veteran replacements brought in this off-season were Sean Walker, who the Flyers acquired in the trade with the Los Angeles Kings, and Marc Staal, who the team signed after he helped the Florida Panthers get to the Stanley Cup Finals last season. Now, while both of these guys were brought in to try and bring in some experience and solidify the defense, the team’s youth will still have the opportunity to fight for a spot on the roster as their seventh defenseman or, better yet, come to earn Tortorella’s trust enough to be the first guy that gets the call up when an injury occurs.
This spot used to belong to the Flyers’ undrafted defenseman Egor Zamula, but since joining the team a couple of years ago, his procession has seemed to stall. Resulting in other defensemen like Ronnie Attard, Emil Andrae, and Adam Ginning surpassing him on the depth chart, and here’s why.
Ronnie is a 24-year-old right-hand shot defender that uses every bit of his 6’3, 207-pound frame to stand the opposition up at the blue line. Attard has done so well since leaving Western Michigan to sign with Philadelphia that he made the AHL All-Star Game last season. His stats while playing for the Phantoms last year were as follows in 68 games played; he scored 12 goals and 20 assists for 32 points. More importantly, he managed to do so while maintaining a +10 average.
For his efforts, Ronnie was given the opportunity to play two games with the Flyers last season, where he did not total any points but looked solid during those outings.
Look for Ronnie to get a real shot with the Flyers at some point this season, as he remains one of the most solid defenders in the team’s system.
Emil Andrae is The other name I mentioned above that could very well find himself playing on South Broad Street at some point this year. Emil was the Flyers’ 2020 second-round pick, and although this now 21-year-old may be diminutive in stature, standing at only 5’9 and 181 pounds, he has certainly proven that he does not let that stop him from competing. After already playing in parts of three seasons in the SHL (Sweden’s Top Professional League), Andrae got his first taste of North American hockey as he was able to join the Phantoms after he finished the season playing for the HV71. In that short stint with the Flyers, Emil was able to impress, scoring six points in just ten regular season games. And now that he knows what to expect, the sky is the limit next season for this young defender.
Adam Ginning is the last defenseman we will talk about that will battle in camp for a shot at making the Flyers’ opening night roster. Adam was the Flyers’ 2018 second-round pick, and he is a bit of a dark horse in this battle because although he is not as flashy as the others mentioned, he would be this old goaltender’s pick of who to have play in front of him. And here’s why. Ginning is the most experienced out of the bunch. He is 23 years old and has already played in parts of six seasons in the SHL before joining the Phantoms last year. Plus, what this defender lacks in point production, he makes up for with size and strength. Standing at 6’4 and 205 pounds, Adam is known to play with a lot of authority. He uses that size to excel in board battles and while clearing out the front of the net. Ginning is probably the most physical out of the bunch and, in my mind, has all the intangibles to become a dependable shutdown defender at the next level. Hence his +24 average last season in the AHL.
GOALTENDING
If I had to pick one position battle above all others currently up for grabs for the Flyers, it would have to be in the net. Since 1999, when Ron Hextall retired, Philadelphia has struggled to find a long-term replacement, let alone a franchise-type goaltender. To prove this, let me point out that the Flyers have started an incredible 32 goalies since then. And not one of those, including Carter Hart, has been able to solidify the position. Lucky for us, Briere is now at the helm and looks as though he hopes to change that.
Since Briere was named the team’s new general manager Hart and his lackluster career win percentage of .417% has been on the trade block. But perhaps the only thing that has kept him here this long is the impending results from the Hockey Canada Sexual Assault investigations, where a woman accused eight players from the 2018 Canadian World Junior Team (which Hart played for) of committing unwanted acts. Since then, Hart and others on that team have come out and sworn they had nothing to do with it. But you can’t blame prospecting teams for not wanting to agree to a possible trade until his name has been completely cleared of any wrongdoing.
With that being said, Dealing Danny has not let that stop him from trading for, drafting, and re-signing other netminders who could potentially take on the starting role one day soon.
One of those players is Cal Petersen, who Briere just acquired from the LA Kings in the trade for Provorov. Petersen will prove to be an option for the Flyers next season because not only does he have actual experience at 28 years old and more than 100 NHL games already under his belt. But he was once thought to be the heir to Jonathan Quick’s throne in LA. Ergo, the pricey five million dollar price tag he brought with him that spans over the next two seasons. Unfortunately for Petersen, the Kings, despite being a playoff team last season, saw their reign from the early teens (when they were able to collect two Stanley Cup wins) come to an end recently as only three players are left from those cup teams on the current roster.
Now, if you have done any research at all on Petersen, you probably are not that impressed, seeing that Cal spent time playing in both the NHL and AHL last year. Even less so if you looked at his career goals-against-average (G.A.A.), save percentage (SV%), and win percentage that are almost identical to that of Hart’s.
But before you chalk him up to the Flyers needing to take on a bad contract to get the deal done. I would urge you to look at what he was able to do at the World Championships for Team USA last season. Where in three games played, Cal was able to go undefeated, maintaining a 0.72 G.A.A. and a .956 SV%, with one of those wins even resulting in him recording a shutout. This tournament performance alone proves that he at least can hold down the fort for a while as Flyers’ goalie prospects Alexei Kolosov, Carson Bjarnason, and Yegor Zavragin continue to develop.
The other guy that will be involved in this upcoming camps competition from within the blue paint is Sam Errson. Sam is a 23-year-old netminder that the Flyers drafted with their fifth-round pick back in 2018. Before coming over to play in North America in 2021, he was a starter for the Brynas IF of the SHL. But you may know him best from the 12 games he played this year up with the Flyers, where he posted a winning record of 6-3.
That short stint was impressive enough, I guess, because it earned him a new two-year contract extension totaling $2.9 million. With that being said, we all know you don’t re-sign a guy for $1.45 million a year if you don’t intend for him to play.
And, if $10.35 million wasn’t enough to have wrapped up into three goalies set to battle it out in camp, enter back in 26-year-old Russian netminder Ivan Fedotov who is on the Flyers books for another $925,000 for this year (making the running total $11.275 million). The IIHF just sided with the Flyers as it was determined that Ivan did, in fact, still have a valid NHL contract with the team when he chose to sign with the KHL’s CSKA Hockey Club recently. According to this report, Fedotov will be given two weeks to decide to either come to Philadelphia and play or obtain an official release from the Flyers to play in the KHL next season. If one of these actions doesn’t occur, Fedotov will have sanctions imposed on him that will NOT allow him to play in any official National or International games for a span of four months. This suspension (if necessary) would start on Sept. 1st (the CSKA’s first regular season game) and run through December 31st.
What does this possible addition mean for the Flyers? Well, this 6’8 goalie was superb during the 2021-2022 season when he last played so much so that he was able to win the accolade of being named the KHL Best Goalie that year after leading his team to the KHL’s Gagarin Cup Championship.
Yes, indeed, if you plan to attend Philadelphia’s upcoming camp for the 2023-2024 season at the Flyers Skate Zone in Vorhees, NJ, it will surely not disappoint. With new management in place and Head Coach John Tortorella said to now have a seat at the decision-making table, the positional battles that I laid out above will undoubtedly be the deciding factor on whether some of these remaining veterans stick around or are replaced by promising prospects that will try to outperform them in the coming weeks.
The Flyers Must be Patient with the Rebuild to Avoid Settling for a Regained State of Mediocrity
The Philadelphia Flyers’ newly promoted President of Hockey Operations, Keith Jones, and General Manager, Danny Briere, sure have done a lot in a short time to help this team move forward. But to ensure they don’t end up settling for a regained state of mediocrity, the powers at be, must remain patient.
This can sometimes prove challenging, though, especially with star prospects like first-round picks Tyson Foerster, Cutter Gauthier, and Matvei Michkov already developing rapidly in their system. But if they genuinely wish to get back to being considered cup contenders, management will need to continue to stock the cupboard for a few more years, and here’s why.
There’s no guarantee that all those names mentioned above will be NHL superstars. Hell, Gauthier has already refused to sign with the team when given the opportunity last year and turned down the chance to come into Development Camp this year. Plus, we all know that Michkov is extremely talented and has shown a strong desire to come over and play for the Flyers, but there is still the issue of him being signed to a KHL deal for the next three seasons.
So as much as it drives up the stomach acid into the back of my throat to even type this, I think the Flyers need to follow the Pittsburgh Penguins model from the early 2000’s. A time when the Pens. inconsistent play led them to be able to draft future hall of famers like goalie Marc-Andre Fleury with the first overall back in 2003, Evgeni Malkin second overall in 2004, Sidney Crosby first overall in 2005, along with Kris Letang in the third round, and finally Jordan Staal with the second overall pick in 2006. Remember, it was only after they drafted and got this new core group of players on the ice simultaneously that their fate began to change. Because of their efforts, Pittsburgh became a dominant force for the better part of a decade and was then afforded the opportunity to raise three Stanley Cup banners into the rafters during their reign. To prove that this course of action was no fluke, you just have to look to the Chicago Blackhawks and the Tampa Bay Lightning, who followed a very similar blueprint when piecing their dynasties together.
So, if the orange and black were to continue on this journey to redemption with that same mindset, we should begin to look ahead at the next couple draft classes to see just what kind of players could be brought to South Broad Street in the not-so-distant future.
The 2024 NHL Entry Draft
Sam Dickinson:
Next summer’s first round will be loaded with potential elite defenders. So, therefore I think the Flyers should try and snag one of them with their first selection. One defender who should be considered an ideal fit for the Flyers inside the top ten next year would be Sam Dickinson of the Ontario Hockey Leagues (OHL’s) London Knights. Sam was this past year, and will likely be again this upcoming season, the defensive partner of the Flyers first-round pick Oliver Bonk. Currently standing 6’3 and 194 pounds, Dickinson is the perfect left-hand-shot defender to bring into the teams’ system. He is mobile and has been known to rocket a shot into the back of the net from time to time. That said, I believe Dickinsons overall game and ongoing chemistry with Bonk next season will see Sam’s stock rise in the eyes of the Flyers brass, leading them to call his name at the draft next summer.
Liam Greentree
For their second first-round pick that Philadelphia acquired from the Florida Panthers in the trade for Giroux, I would suggest a player named Liam Greentree, who plays for the OHL’s Windsor Spitfires. Liam is a player who I think will surprise many people this upcoming season—seeing that in his rookie campaign last season, this 6’2 194 pounder managed to score an impressive 25 goals and 20 assists for 45 points. Given his size and the mass exodus of a large majority of his teammates that aged out of junior hockey, the sky is the limit for this young prospect next season. And with the aforementioned multitude of quality defenders to be had in his draft class, Greentree is looking more and more like a potential steal late in the opening round of next year’s draft (where the Panthers are projected to finish).
The 2025 NHL Entry Draft
As I stated above, this rebuild must be ongoing and will take a few years to see it through. So, we will keep it going by now, taking a look into the 2025 Draft, which appears as though it is going to be chalked full of some pretty amazing offensive talent. But while this draft is going to be highlighted by names like Michael Misa, Owen Griffin, Zach Morin, Cullen Potter, Malcolm Spence, and Cooper Dennis, I feel as though the team will begin to get a little better so I’ll give you a couple of names that I think most so-called experts are currently sleeping on, and therefore could still be available when the Flyers are due to make their selection.
William Horcoff
William Horcoff is the first prospect from this draft class, whom I think both Jones and Briere will be keeping an eye on. My thought process stemmed from the current Flyers administration’s recent draft, where they showed a love affair with prospects that came from NHL Bloodlines (ergo, their decision to select Cole Knuble and Alex Ciernik earlier this summer).
William also fits that mold, seeing that his dad Shawn played in over 1,000 regular season NHL games that spanned over 15 seasons for three different teams. In this case, the only difference between father and son is that William, who is 6’3 and 170 pounds, looks to be far more offensively talented than his dad ever was. And here’s proof throughout the last two seasons while playing for the prospect factory known as the Little Caesars AAA 14U and 15U teams, Horcoff has been able to showcase his innate finishing ability netting an unbelievable 150 goals and 138 assists for a total of 288 points all in only 142 games played. Now, if you do the math, that equates to him maintaining an average of 1.05 goals per game and over two points per game during that time.
That said, the only thing that currently holds him back from being mentioned in the same conversations as the other elite players in his draft class is Will’s skating ability, or lack thereof, which he still has time to work on.
And the way I see it, any power skating/strength and condition coach worth his weight in broken sticks could help Horcoff improve on that part of his game, but what you can’t teach is his unmatched ability to put the puck in the back of the net.
Ryan Hedley
Another name from this draft class who currently finds himself grossly underrated is Ryan Hedley from the Carolina Jr. Hurricanes. This natural center, which is only 15 years of age, is not projected by the masses to go in the first round of the 2025 NHL Entry Draft, so if this holds true, he should be considered a steal in the second or third round. Why??? You might be asking. Well, over the last three seasons playing for the Jr. Canes, Ryan has been able to amass a total of 151 goals and 375 points! Now if you wanted to break down his game, the only way possible would be to compare him to legends. As he has shown, he can dangle like Datsyuk, protect like Jagr, accelerate with the puck on his stick like Modano, and finish with Gaborik’s accuracy.
The 2026 NHL Entry Draft
The final year I think the Flyers will need to afford themselves a top draft pick before any real shot at contention would be in the 2026 NHL Draft. Now, with it being such a long way out, it’s hard to tell who will stand out from above the rest, considering that most of the prospects involved in this draft class are still just 14 years old. But if I had my pick of whom would fit best within the Flyers system, I would have to take Joe Iginla.
Joe Iginla
Yes, if his last name rings a bell, it’s because he is the latest offspring of the former Calgary Flames legend turned Hall of Famer Jarome Iginla to make a name for themselves playing the game their dad dominated at for so many years in the NHL. As his older sister Jade and brother Tij did before him, Joe was entranced with the game of hockey from a very young age. The only difference is that while both of his siblings are playing at a very high level, Joe appears destined to be the best out of the bunch.
At just 14 years of age, Joe already looks to possess his dad’s proficiency around the net and gritty style of play. So much so that in a combined 88 games played last season, Joe produced an incredible 118 goals and 91 assists for a grand total of 209 points!
Now with that kind of point production, it’s easy to see why the Western Hockey Leagues (WHL’s) Edmonton Oil Kings decided to take Joe with their first-round pick this past May.
For, if he turns out to be even half of the player his dad was, then the sky is the limit as to how far he will go in this great sport.
With the addition of these prospects over the next couple of seasons being brought into the fold, I believe the Flyers could have a chance at regaining their rightful spot alongside the leagues’ elite teams who find themselves fighting for a chance at Lord Stanley’s Cup year in and year out.