2024 NHL Draft – Zayne Parekh (9th overall – Calgary Flames)
all right questions for zann Zay how does it feel um you know I can’t get a smile on my face so I feel great um a little stressful going into it but I’m super happy now you think back to you know everything you went through building you to this point just who are you thankful for in your development to get to this point time everyone I mean it takes an army right um takes a village to to raise a child that’s saying and um you know I I have so many people to thank I’ll try and list them off right now obviously with with Don Bray Duncan Doo Sergey Samson off mcken bra and and you know everyone I skated with and obviously my agents and my family so um a lot of people to think I I can’t get to all of them but um you know they know they know they’re out there Zan what about uh what to like sitting there watching the first few picks and maybe was it anything as you would imagined it no no honestly I thought it was um you know a lot less stressful and um but you know I uh leaning up to the pick I I I had a feeling that you know I I might end up in t and and when it did happen the the feeling before I kind of knew and and those 30 seconds leading up to it I was smiling so uh it feels great what gave you that what gave you that feeling uh what were the conversations like with them getting in you know at the the combat I had a really good talk with them I think they um told my agent that they I I spoke pretty well in my interview and and I did a good job so um you know they they told me that there’s interest um coming into this draft and um you know obviously they ended up taking me so uh pretty good got F than you take us through your season obviously you finish it in the absolute best way possible but from maybe from a development standpoint how you see your game um you know I think I took steps in the right direction every day um starts in practice obviously but from the start of the season to the end of the season I think I really matured in terms of my game away from the puck and you know with the puck I became more creative and and you know smarter and and um you know I thought I became a little bit of a better skater throughout the year too so how about that top um you know I’m still living on that high I think this one might top it a tiny bit but um they’re pretty one and two one a 1B um you know I I love to win I love that feeling of winning and um going through those 10 days with that group of guys I I would wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world honestly um if I could relive it I would a thousand times over you mentioned the group of guys that you’re with on that team how much of a resource were they to you with so many grafted players on your yeah they’re everything I mean um you know I I was when I went back and jorian Donovan came in it made it even easier but just the older guys in general I mean they’ve been through it um they understand the process and um a lot of them texted me today and it was really heartwarming to see that obviously and and you know I love those guys to death but um they were everything for me who were some players who enjoyed watching growing um you know growing up I I left to was a big Steph Sam Coast fan surprisingly even though I’m a defenseman but um you know I think I watched the Eric Carlson the the gothest Bears of the word world and then especially in the last couple years I’ve I’ve um I’ve watched a lot of mar a lot of mar a lot of Hughes and and just the way those two play it’s it’s unbelievable what’s it been like obviously you’re you’re more model as a more offensive type but we’ve seen more and more of these Dynamic offensive defensive kind of take over with the NHL what’s it like for you as a young player seeing those guys kind of become the standard in the NHL defens yeah love it honestly I think uh that’s the the type player I am I think um you know I’m a creative kid with the puck and uh I like to express that so in terms of the way I play I like to be creative and and make plays on the blue line and and the fact that that’s grown in the game I love it I mean I think it’s the next wave of of generational defenseman and and you need your you need your defenseman in the play to to contribute so um you know I love to to make an effort and and help my team wi when you think back to Sag Chris La what have they meant your development the team and all the hockey off staff to get you here yeah uh coaching staff was everything this year especially and and you know with Chris lry Jake gmes and and Garrett rled and and obviously the rest of the staff um you know the the amount of talks and questions I’ve asked them is is absurd it’s you can’t count that and and the feedback they’ve given me it’s been awesome to to help grow my game and um you know Dave drinkle put trust in me from day one Brian proud obviously too so um big credit to those guys cuz you know I wouldn’t be here without them I wouldn’t be playing in saging on in the first place just getting a chance to talk to you a month ago you talked about the amount of game tape that you watched to yourself to look at areas you needed to improve on or wanted to improve on what Did you sort of identify this season that helped you not turn a corner but really Elevate things yeah you know I was working with the best Sergey samsonoff so um you know he’d watch back a lot of my games and and give me feedback and we’d watch games together so he was perfect for me in terms of development and you know the biggest thing he told me this year was um it’s not a you you you got to want to defend um and and that was the biggest eye opener for me it’s sometimes I’m um going in there a little straight likeed trying to just anticipate the play but you know he kind of told me to to be quick you know um close on guys quicker and and you know don’t wait and overthink things
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