Folks, as National Hockey League clubs begin their training camps in earnest, their counterparts in Canadian major junior hockey prepare to kick off their regular seasons very soon.
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The Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League and the Western Hockey League start their seasons on Friday night, while the Ontario Hockey League follows on Wednesday. In preparation, <a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/news/top-30-nhl-prospects-to-watch-in-the-ohl-whl-and-qmjhl-in-2024-25">over at Daily Faceoff our pal Steven Ellis has prepared a listing of 30 NHL prospects to watch across the three Canadian major junior circuits</a>.
And to the shock of nobody, a pair of Calgary Flames blueline prospects appear on that list: 2024 first-rounder Zayne Parekh and 2023 second-rounder Etienne Morin.
Here&#8217;s what Ellis had to say about Parekh, who&#8217;ll suit up for the OHL&#8217;s Saginaw Spirit:
<blockquote>
Parekh is coming off the third most productive U-18 season ever by an OHL defender. So what’s he capable of as a third-year OHLer? There’s no reason to doubt that he won’t become the fourth defender in OHL history to break the 120-point barrier and become just the second behind Paul Reinhart in 1978-79 to hit 50 goals. He’s got the toolkit to make everything work at both ends, starting with his skating. Parekh isn’t an explosive skater, but he moves well side-to-side and can start and stop on a dime. He’s a manipulator offensively in how he makes you think he’s doing one thing before doing another, and he’s figured out how to use that to his advantage going the other way, too. After winning the Memorial Cup last spring, look for Parekh to bring the Spirit far again this year, too.
</blockquote>
And here&#8217;s Ellis&#8217; two cents on Morin, who returns to the QMJHL&#8217;s Moncton Wildcats for his 19-year-old season:
<blockquote>
Many people considered Morin to be one of the best defensemen in the CHL in 2022-23. He had 21 goals and 72 points in his draft year before falling to 49 this season but he still showed how competitive and defensively responsible he is. Morin is more than just a point-producer; while he’s not big, he’s physical, and he uses that to win battles consistently. I fully expect him to make it to the NHL, but I’m not sure in what role just yet. This year, let’s see if he can combine his offensive exploits with his improved defensive play to become a much more valuable option for a pipeline that could use a bit of a boost.
</blockquote>
2024 second-rounder Andrew Basha of the WHL&#8217;s Medicine Hat Tigers was listed as an honourable mention for that league.
The Flames will have a ton of talented youngsters playing in major junior. Stay tuned to FlamesNation and Daily Faceoff for updates on their respective 2024-25 seasons as they unfold!

Folks, as National Hockey League clubs begin their training camps in earnest, their counterparts in Canadian major junior hockey prepare to kick off their regular seasons very soon.
<div class="bam-inline-promotion-block" data-max-length="2" data-placement-id="2109" data-context="web-content-promocard" data-property-id="328"></div>
The Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League and the Western Hockey League start their seasons on Friday night, while the Ontario Hockey League follows on Wednesday. In preparation, <a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/news/top-30-nhl-prospects-to-watch-in-the-ohl-whl-and-qmjhl-in-2024-25">over at Daily Faceoff our pal Steven Ellis has prepared a listing of 30 NHL prospects to watch across the three Canadian major junior circuits</a>.

And to the shock of nobody, a pair of Calgary Flames blueline prospects appear on that list: 2024 first-rounder Zayne Parekh and 2023 second-rounder Etienne Morin.

Here's what Ellis had to say about Parekh, who'll suit up for the OHL's Saginaw Spirit:
<blockquote>
Parekh is coming off the third most productive U-18 season ever by an OHL defender. So what’s he capable of as a third-year OHLer? There’s no reason to doubt that he won’t become the fourth defender in OHL history to break the 120-point barrier and become just the second behind Paul Reinhart in 1978-79 to hit 50 goals. He’s got the toolkit to make everything work at both ends, starting with his skating. Parekh isn’t an explosive skater, but he moves well side-to-side and can start and stop on a dime. He’s a manipulator offensively in how he makes you think he’s doing one thing before doing another, and he’s figured out how to use that to his advantage going the other way, too. After winning the Memorial Cup last spring, look for Parekh to bring the Spirit far again this year, too.
</blockquote>
And here's Ellis' two cents on Morin, who returns to the QMJHL's Moncton Wildcats for his 19-year-old season:
<blockquote>
Many people considered Morin to be one of the best defensemen in the CHL in 2022-23. He had 21 goals and 72 points in his draft year before falling to 49 this season but he still showed how competitive and defensively responsible he is. Morin is more than just a point-producer; while he’s not big, he’s physical, and he uses that to win battles consistently. I fully expect him to make it to the NHL, but I’m not sure in what role just yet. This year, let’s see if he can combine his offensive exploits with his improved defensive play to become a much more valuable option for a pipeline that could use a bit of a boost.
</blockquote>
2024 second-rounder Andrew Basha of the WHL's Medicine Hat Tigers was listed as an honourable mention for that league.

The Flames will have a ton of talented youngsters playing in major junior. Stay tuned to FlamesNation and Daily Faceoff for updates on their respective 2024-25 seasons as they unfold!

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