Seattle Kraken #8 Pick Watch: THN Draft Issue Likes OHL Defenseman

In two weeks, Kraken general manager Ron Francis will step up to the mic at Sphere in Las Vegas and... no, not start belting out show tunes.

He will reveal which player the Kraken have selected with the #8 pick in the 1st round of the 2024 NHL Draft June 28-29.

If Francis doesn't trade up or down or out of the 1st round, the THN Draft Preview Issue has a prediction about the who the newest Seattle prospect will be.

THN editor in chief Ryan Kennedy consulted with 20 NHL scouts to compile a top-100 ranking. The player ranked 8th overall, and thus available to Seattle, is Zayne Parekh, a right-handed defenseman with the OHL Saginaw Spirit.

What even Kennedy couldn't know at the time of publication is that Parekh would enter the draft as a Memorial Cup champion.

Close Kraken observers know all about the Spirit. Those who've been following prospect and CHL player of the year Jagger Firkus saw his Moose Jaw Warriors beaten twice by Saginaw during the Memorial Cup.

Parekh's THN writeup includes the words of an NHL scout: "He’s never going to be a shutdown guy, but there’s a place for him because of everything else. When he gets the puck in his zone, it’s getting out one way or another. He’s near an elite offensive defenseman.”

Parekh scored an eye-popping 33 goals and 96 points during the regular season for Saginaw. As the Draft Preview points out, that point total was tops among OHL defensemen, and only surpassed by five forwards.

“He creates off the rush, distributes on the power play and gets pucks on net,” said another scout. “He has great hands. His offensive instincts are highly developed. The defense is concerning, but if you’re drafting Parekh, you know what he brings to the table.”

Choosing Parekh would help the Kraken bulk up their corps of defensive prospects, which is thin compared to their stocked cupboard of forwards in the system.

Of course, Seattle could go any number of other directions with the #8 pick. So be draft-ready by picking up this THN special issue.