Zayne Parekh Scouting Report, Flames Prospects & 2025 NHL Draft Preview | Lauren Kelly Interview - video Dailymotion

Peter Klein

🎙️ Couch Potato Diary welcomes Lauren Kelly, scout for Elite Prospects, for a deep dive into the Calgary Flames’ top OHL prospects — including standout defenseman Zayne Parekh, Luke Misa, Jacob Battaglia, and Henry Mews.  We also preview the 2025 NHL Draft: the current top 4 consensus picks, what sets players like Michael Misa and Matthew Schaefer apart, and why this year’s class may require more patience than past drafts.  Finally, we explore Lauren’s scouting work and her recent OHL Priority Selection Rankings at Elite Prospects.  🏒 For hardcore fans and prospect nerds, this is a must-listen.  🔗 Don’t forget to like, comment, and subscribe!  📌 Follow Lauren's work at EliteProspects.com 🎧 Subscribe for more hockey interviews and Flames coverage.  C of Dead: https://www.cofdead403.ca/ Swift Energy: https://www.swiftenergy.gg/?ref=mriusnqm  Promo Code: PKPrimetime for 25% off Apple Pod: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/couch-potato-diary/id1564122189 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3QgazeHcSKSteZbBIubcuM Twitter: x.com/primetimeklein IG: instagram.com/primetimeklein Facebook: www.facebook.com/Couchpotatodiary Twitch: twitch.tv/primetimepk Email: couchpotatodiary@yahoo.com We Had No Idea: every Wednesday morning,  instagram.com/wehadnoideapodcast  #ZayneParekh #FlamesProspects #2025NHLDraft #OHL #HockeyPodcast #LaurenKelly #NHLProspects #CouchPotatoDiary #CalgaryFlames #EliteProspects

Transcript

00:00Very pleased to be joined now. She is a scout for Elite Prospects and overall very smart hockey

00:06person. She is Lauren Kelly. Lauren, thank you for taking the time today. How are you?

00:10I'm good. I'm really excited to be here.

00:13Good. I'm excited to have you here. So a great start then. Wanted to talk about a few things

00:18here, but the first one, obviously a lot of buzz out here in Calgary with Zane Parekh getting

00:23called up. It does mean his OHL season came to an end a little bit prematurely, but Flames fans

00:28excited to see him and we'll get to if they will or not in a second. But first of all,

00:33what did you see overall from Zane Parekh this season?

00:36Yeah, I think the way last season ended and I'm sure Flames fans know that, you know,

00:41Parekh has admitted himself that because of the long season with the Memorial Cup and the combine

00:45and development camps and rookie camps in the summer that he probably didn't have a lot of

00:49time to fully dedicate to training and preparing for this season. And so as a result, he naturally

00:54he was a little bit slow out of the gates this season. But I mean, for me, there was never really

00:58any doubt that he wouldn't figure it out quickly. He's just too talented not to. And he's a highly

01:04motivated person who I think became even more motivated to prove doubters wrong, especially

01:09after he was left off the World Junior team. Now, hindsight is 50-50 there, but I think the

01:14majority would agree with me that it was a massive mistake even before the tournament played

01:18itself out. Parekh is a special player, absolutely. But I think the way he's handled the adversity this

01:24season, especially in the first half, is a testament to the kind of person he is. He takes every piece

01:28of advice, constructive criticism, and he just runs with it. And to be the first OHL defender to record

01:34an 100-point season since I think Ryan Ellis nearly 15 years ago is just so impressive. And now he's

01:41recorded back-to-back 30-goal seasons as well, something that might have been in question given the

01:45slower than normal start to the season. And I think he just had a really special draft-plus-one

01:51season, and he's likely put himself in the conversation to be named league's defenseman

01:56of the year for the second straight year, which would be incredible if he manages to achieve that.

02:00I would love to see the season of someone who topped him, and I'm sure that there's a list of

02:04them, but it does seem like an incredible year. And it is interesting because you kind of forget now

02:08that it was a slow start to the season, and people out here were concerned about that. But then it does

02:15seem at some point, he was just like, hey, kind of forgot, I'm awesome, and just took over everything.

02:20I'm sure there's more to it than that, but it did seem like once that ball got rolling, it did not

02:24stop. Yeah, and I think it just took him some time. And I think, you know, with prospects,

02:30you just got to be patient sometimes. And, you know, with players like Parekh, who are,

02:37they're just so innately talented and special, like they're going to figure it out. And especially

02:42on a team like Saginaw, and their systems are so freeing, and it allows him to really experiment

02:49offensively. And I think, you know, once he kind of just got settled in and remembered, like, okay,

02:53I just got to keep focus and play my game, and I'm going to be fine. And we saw he was more than

02:58fine this season.

03:01The offensive numbers are what they are, and they're incredible. But a lot of the discussion

03:04around him going into the draft, and then in training camp with the Flames, was on the defensive

03:09side of things. Did you notice any improvements or anything like that from him this year on the

03:14defensive side of things?

03:17For sure. And I want to preface this by saying that I personally was never all that concerned

03:22with his defensive game, at least not to the degree that others seem to be. Now, I'm not saying that

03:27he's some sort of defensive savant out there. But the part of his game that I was actually hoping

03:32to see improvements from this season were on his breakouts and retrievals. And so in his draft year,

03:37he had a bit of a tendency to bomb long-range passes up the ice. And, you know, the efficiency

03:43of whether or not he was able to complete those passes was a little bit up in question at times.

03:49This season, he was a lot more patient, more willing to use short-range options, and that's

03:53going to be more effective long-term in the NHL. Now, as for the actual defense part, he's initiated

03:59contact on retrievals far more frequently. He seals players along the boards effectively.

04:03He's a lot more physically engaged, particularly with regards to his gap control.

04:08He gaps up tighter and faster now. And I know Saginaw went out early in the first round, and I think

04:13many people were surprised by that. But as someone who watched nearly every Spirit game this season,

04:18I kind of almost expected this outcome. There were a lot of factors at play with the way that series

04:23played out. But Parak was far and away their best player in that series, both offensively and defensively.

04:28And he was pretty much the only defender who could kill plays in that series, for the Spirit,

04:34that is. And so as long as his defensive game continues to trend in this direction, I honestly

04:39don't think it'll be too much of a concern in the long run. Again, I was just really impressed with

04:44the steps he continued to take. And, you know, he made that, he heard what Flames management was

04:49saying to him, and he really made strides to improve in that regard.

04:53So the discussion is, now he's with the team, play him. Calgary in a bit of a unique spot,

05:00because this was supposed to be kind of year one of a rebuild, and then they went off and

05:04got themselves in a playoff race, which they're still in. So on the one hand, it's throwing a

05:09kid to the wolves. On the other hand, Wednesday night, the power play looked atrocious, and a lot

05:14of the fan base was going, boy, I just couldn't figure out where if we could just pluck someone who

05:18could be a quarterback power play for a quarterback of a power play for a second, don't know where we

05:22could just find that. So obviously, he projects to be something special. But in the here and now,

05:27do you think he is NHL ready?

05:30Truthfully, I think the only way to tell for sure is to see what he looks like in a game. But I also

05:35understand the Flames standpoint, where they kind of just want him to be a sponge right now and to

05:39absorb everything and learn from the players in the locker room. And truthfully, as a scout,

05:44I don't think there's any harm in taking the patient approach. And it seems like he's really on

05:48board with their plans for him, which is great. And we saw this season in the NHL where players

05:54who may have been rushed to the NHL a little bit early and struggled to adjust to pace and speed of

06:00the game and the physicality. And that was back in October, and the Flames are trying to make the

06:05playoffs right now. So is now the right time for him to kind of be thrown in there? It's a difficult

06:10situation to navigate without knowing exactly what the discussions in that room are, what they may want

06:15him to work on, the potential D partners he could play with, and the kind of role in minutes he would

06:19play if he were to step into a game. All that being said, I'm a full believer in Parekh. He's so

06:26intelligent, extremely motivated. He continues to rise to the occasion no matter what is thrown his

06:30way. So I do believe that he would be able to hold his own in the NHL right now. And he's smart enough

06:35to figure things out on the fly. If, you know, if the Flames really need to fix their power play,

06:41I, you know, hell, hell, throw him in, keep him on the bench for the game until, like, they get a

06:47power play. Like, you know, there is something to be said about, you know, he is that kind of special

06:53talent who could change the complexion of a game, you know, in the right situation. So they could

06:58shelter him in that regard. But it's just a matter of, you know, maybe they just want to be a little

07:03bit patient right now and see if the players who are already in that locker room can take them

07:09to the playoffs. Yeah, you mentioned something in there, his intelligence. And that's something

07:14that keeps coming up. I have a friend out in Ontario who's called games out there for forever,

07:19Chris Pope, who messaged me the second the Flames drafted him. He's like, it takes this kid a little

07:24bit of time to maybe figure things out. But once he does, like, it's just, he is just like this

07:27cerebral guy. And once he gets it figured out, it's just, it's figured. What is, what have you

07:32noticed kind of from him? Obviously, like, they're, we're not hanging out with him every day. We don't

07:35know, but you can kind of tell some of those things from watching. What have you kind of noticed on a

07:40bit more of the cerebral side of Zane Parekh's game? Yeah, I think he just really sees the ice

07:45very well. He understands how to use his line mates and read and react off them. He just has this kind

07:53of next level vision, especially in the offensive zone, where he sees plays develop or potential

07:58opportunities to create before a lot of other players do. I think that's what makes him so dangerous,

08:03especially with the puck on his stick. And I mean, naturally, a player or a person who has

08:09graduated high school at 15 years old before he even goes to the OHL is probably going to be a

08:13really smart player on the ice too. So I just, yeah, like his intelligence is probably something

08:20that doesn't, his hockey intelligence that is, doesn't get enough recognition, I think. I think it

08:26really is the foundation for his game. And then obviously the puck skills and everything else kind of

08:31just build onto how impressive of a player he is. Getting ready for this chat, it kind of struck

08:37me that the Flames have a few guys out in the Ontario Hockey League to focus on. So I do want

08:41to ask about a couple others here. Luke Misa also put up some huge numbers this year, including 12

08:46points in six playoff games. What did you see from him this year? And what is kind of his ceiling,

08:52do you think, as a potential NHL-er? So anyone who follows me will know that players like Luke Misa

08:58and his brother Michael were built in a lab for me to enjoy. They're prospects I just gravitate

09:03towards. They are high-paced, smart forwards. They're great skaters. They play two-way games.

09:07They're defensively responsible. And because the Steelheads are my home rank, I've pretty much

09:12followed Misa since his rookie season back in 2021. And I just think with him, you know what you're

09:17getting night in, night out. He's extremely consistent. He compliments and reads off his

09:21linemates well. He's a very versatile forward, defensively responsible. He doesn't quit on a play.

09:27He's always back-checking and back-tracking, and he's keeping his feet moving. And developing

09:33more of a physical game is always the biggest X factor for his NHL future. And obviously with

09:38smaller players, you kind of need that physical game in order to have success in the NHL.

09:43And this season, he was a lot more willing to initiate contact. He's really good at winning

09:47battles along the boards. And I think, you know, he's more willing to throw his body around and kind

09:52of initiate, join the play physically. And, you know, he's going to need a really strong

09:59physical game to have success at the pro level. And I think this season, we saw him take a step

10:03in the right direction.

10:05So when we're talking about Zane Parekh's NHL timeline, it could potentially be hours by the

10:09time people are listening to this. Probably not the same with Misa, but these can be a little

10:14bit tricky to figure out. But do we have an NHL ETA for this player?

10:19I wanted to say maybe three or four seasons. Now, there are a couple of options here. I think

10:26the fact that he hasn't signed an ATO or anything to go to the AHL right now with Brampton season

10:31being over is actually an indicator that he could be going to the NCAA next season. He's technically

10:37aged out of the OHL as a drafted prospect. He's a late 2005 birthday. So in order for him to go back

10:42next season, he would have to be what's called an overage player. And only a few select players

10:48tend to return for those overage seasons. A team can only roster three at a maximum.

10:56And it's pretty rare for an NHL team to want their prospects to go play an overage season in the

11:02OHL or any other CHL league. Now, we have seen players do that if the team thinks it makes sense

11:10for them to do that instead of playing in the AHL or ECHL. But now college has opened up as a new

11:15developmental route for prospects who are kind of not quite ready to make the jump to pro hockey,

11:21but they're either too old or maybe they've done what they can in the junior leagues. And I do think

11:27the college route makes the most sense for him to continue to get stronger, to further develop his

11:32physical game. And it also presents a new challenge for him after having played with steelheads for

11:37four seasons under the same coach and the same systems. So if that is the route he takes,

11:42instead of going back to the OHL for an OA season or signing his entry-level contract and going to the

11:47AHL, I could see him spending a couple of seasons there before the Flames reevaluate where they are

11:52with him. But they also only have another season, I think, to figure out whether or not they want

11:57to keep his rights. So it's a little bit up in the air right now. And I'd hope that he makes it to

12:02the NHL. I've always been a believer in him, even if his game is not traditionally suited for the

12:07NHL, as it is where it stands right now. But we're looking at a longer timeline with him for sure,

12:13regardless of where he plays next season, or at least maybe two or three seasons in the AHL.

12:22But going to college could potentially help speed up his timeline, depending on how his development

12:28goes there, if he does go there. A couple more to ask about. Henry Muse and Jacob Battaglia. Again,

12:35both coming off of very strong years, statistically anyway. Where are you on both of those guys?

12:41I'll start with Battaglia. He's such a great prospect. The running joke is that he hasn't

12:47lost a down-low board battle all season. He's such a fierce competitor. He's poised to have a deep

12:53playoff run with Kingston this spring. He's fast. He's really skilled. He's so physical. I'm not

12:58surprised that he's signed his entry-level contract already. He just got better and better with every

13:02game this season. And I think the Flames really hit a home run with that pick last year. He's a great

13:09prospect, and he'll be a great NHL player when he's ready to make that jump. And as for Muse,

13:15he's a really interesting player who is so highly touted in his minor midget, his 15-year-old,

13:2216-year-old season. He was a first-round pick. Really, really productive, offensively skilled

13:28player. And obviously, Ottawa struggled as a team this season, and so he was dealt at the

13:33trade deadline to Sudbury. At least that got him some postseason action, even if it was only five

13:39games. But what I've heard from people who know way more about this stuff than I do, it's actually

13:44more likely that Muse goes to the NCAA next season than return to the OHL. And so if that's the case,

13:50I think that would also be a great new challenge for him, too. An opportunity for him to continue

13:55to get stronger, play against older competition, increase his pace, continue to develop and hone

14:01his offensive skills, and develop his two-way play. So that's kind of where I am on both of them,

14:09I guess. I'm really, really high in Bataglia. And Muse is a very promising prospect where he just

14:16needs to continue to take the right steps in that direction. And depending on where he ends up next

14:20season, he'll figure it out, no matter where he ends up.

14:24It really does seem like the NCAA option opens up a lot of things here. Because there are times

14:30where you'll have a kid who is just a dynamite prospect in junior, and then they come up to the

14:35American Hockey League, and it doesn't click right away. And it's, well, I mean, yes, you're playing

14:39against adults now for the first time. And it's, there is an adjustment there. And it does seem like

14:45that could be a good way to kind of bridge the gap. Because a lot of times, like, you don't want

14:48these top prospects playing on third or fourth lines, but they aren't one of your top six players on your

14:53team at the American Hockey League level. And then you have to walk that balance between, well, we

14:58want to get this guy playing time, but he's also getting bludgeoned to death. So let's not do that.

15:03It does seem like the NCAA can be a real good kind of middle ground for some of this now. Am I kind

15:09of reading that right? Yeah, that's how I would view it. And also for NHL teams, you don't want your

15:13top prospects playing that many seasons in the AHL. Eventually, after, I think, one or two seasons,

15:19you kind of want them to be competing for a roster spot. And if they're not at that point,

15:24then maybe you're starting to look at the prospects that you drafted more recently, who

15:30might be more skilled or more talented or just more NHL ready. So yeah, if going to college is

15:37kind of that middle ground for players who are kind of ready to lead junior, but not ready necessarily

15:43to go right to pro hockey, I think that would, that's just a natural kind of progression up a

15:50level, but not up a level so far that, you know, you might be a little bit out of your depth to begin

15:55with. Now, the main talk around the Flames is a lack of like high-end caliber players. And that is both

16:03like on the NHL roster and in the system. It does seem, at least the hope anyway, is that Parekh

16:07turns into one of those like superstar type of guys, no pressure. But that is the hope anyway.

16:14Of some of the players we talked about here for the Flames, do you think there is one who could

16:18kind of break into that kind of like game changer type of a level?

16:23Yeah, and I think to a certain degree, that's fair. Parekh is the obvious game changer for the Flames

16:28blue line. And I think he's more than ready and willing and wanting to be that guy for a team and

16:35be that, you know, number one defenseman for the Flames who can quarterback a power play and play

16:41in every situation for them. And I think he is going to, that's a lot of pressure, obviously, on a

16:4719-year-old kid. But I think he's more than ready to kind of take that responsibility on and work

16:54his way to getting there. But I think of the other three that we've talked about, Bataglia might be

17:00getting overlooked a little bit by fans. He's just a player who's built for the playoffs.

17:05And he, like, he just seems out of the three, the kind of the most, I guess, NHL ready. Although

17:12he's, like, he's going back to the OHL next season for sure, because he signed his entry-level deal,

17:19so he can't go to NCAA. But, and it'd be pretty remarkable if he did make the NHL team next season.

17:27Obviously, there's always a chance that happens. And I could see it potentially in kind of like a

17:32Jet Luchanko situation where maybe he gets a few games at the start of the season. But,

17:36yeah, I think he's kind of that player who can really turn his game up a notch even further

17:43in the playoffs and kind of be that, like, game changer for them.

17:48In terms of game changers, just kind of shifting gears a little bit now, are there any in this

17:52year's draft that it's starting to become that time where a lot of people are focusing on that?

17:56Um, it doesn't seem, at least from my perspective anyway, that there's, like, a Conor Bedard in this

18:01draft. Uh, we're a year away from a Gavin McKenna draft. So, there isn't, like, that household name.

18:06Doesn't mean there isn't a game changer or a superstar. It's just there isn't that one that everyone is

18:10kind of locked onto at this point. Um, from your perspective, is this the type of a draft where you

18:15find, like, your legit number one guy to turn you into a contender?

18:18I think it depends on where you're picking. So, the general consensus with the 2025 group is that

18:25it's pretty wide open after the top four. So, the top four being Matthew Schaefer, Michael Misa,

18:30Porter Martone, and James Higgins. Um, you know, all those guys, game changers. Um,

18:38the, that's why there's such a race to the bottom this year is because, um, the player who goes first

18:44overall, they're, they haven't really separated themselves in the way that, you know, a Bedard

18:49or a McDavid or, uh, even Uri Slavkovsky to a degree. Like, um, Schaefer's played so few games

18:56it's kind of hard to get a read on him. Um, like, whoever goes first overall will likely depend on

19:02the team who selects first. It's not necessarily a best player scenario, a best player available

19:07scenario. Um, it's more that, okay, like, maybe San Jose just has, just drafted Celebrini and they

19:14have Will Smith. Like, do they need another center? Maybe they go defenseman, even though

19:17they just drafted Sam Dickinson last year as well. Um, Nashville kind of needs help everywhere.

19:22Like, yeah, right. Nashville kind of needs help everywhere. Like, do, do they go for Misa because

19:30they need a true number one center or Chicago? Well, they have Bedard. Uh, so maybe they go Schaefer

19:36as well, or they need a right winger to play with Bedard. So they lean towards Martone. Um, so it's one

19:41of those things where like, yes, there are definitely, definite game changers at the top

19:46of the draft. Um, as for like the rest of the first round, it's completely wide open and obviously the

19:52Flames won't be picking as high as like top four, but there are still a lot of quality talents who

19:57will be available in that mid first range where they could pick. It's just more that a lot of these

20:01prospects will require a bit more patience and further development. Um, but with this class as a

20:07whole, we could be looking at a situation where none of the prospects of this year's draft are

20:11ready to step into the NHL next season, which would really be rare, especially with regards to

20:17like the first overall pick usually plays in the NHL the following season. Um, so like if,

20:22for example, if Schaefer goes first, like he's played so few games this year, would he be ready

20:27to step into the NHL next year? It's a big question for sure. Yeah. It does seem like a lot of times the

20:33first overall prospect or first overall pick does play doesn't mean they've always been ready. Uh,

20:37but they, they certainly have played a whole lot. So no, I I'm, I'm, I'm interested in this draft

20:42because it, there hasn't been that one to separate. And so that does seem like there's,

20:46if nothing else, a little more work that everyone has to do than normal when it comes to those top

20:50options. Um, a couple that you mentioned in there are from the Ontario hockey league, um, Schaefer,

20:54the limited viewings, like you said that the injury, but people still blown away by him enough

20:58to have him in that number one conversation. And, and then, uh, Michael Misa as well.

21:02Um, if you could give us a bit of a scattering report from what you've seen on those two guys,

21:06again, with the understanding that one was a little more limited than the other, but, uh,

21:09what have you seen from those two guys leading up into the draft process here?

21:13Sure. Let's start with Schaefer, who is, I guess, the consensus first overall guy right now,

21:17depending on who picks first, but that's the feeling amongst like the public, um, super dynamic,

21:23great skater, uh, offensive vision off the charts, really steady defender in his own end. Um,

21:30he's continued to raise the bar with every game that he's played, even with the limited

21:34action. Like you saw the Holenka Gretzky cup and he was Canada's best player. And then again,

21:40at the world juniors, he was Canada's best player as a draft eligible, which usually the world juniors

21:46are a 19 year olds tournament. So you expect the older players to have more success than the younger

21:50players. And we, we saw it pretty obviously that once Schaefer was injured, uh, Canada just didn't

21:56really have anyone else to turn to as like a game breaker. So, um, it's rare to get such a

22:01talented defender, especially one that's so young for this draft class. Schaefer's only a September

22:062007 birthday. He's pretty much younger than every top prospect in this class, especially players like

22:12Martone and Higgins and Roger McQueen. They're all late 2006 birthday. So he's almost a full year

22:18younger than some of these other players in this class. And he is so talented and he's really the

22:24undisputed, um, right now a number one guy, even though he's played so few games, like you're probably

22:31looking at a future top pairing NHL defender who can quarterback a power play, but also lock things

22:36down defensively. And with Misa, uh, my personal favorite in this class, I think I've probably alluded

22:43to that at some point earlier on, uh, the most well-rounded prospect probably in years, like

22:49exceptional details, great speed and pace, elite tools, such a smart player. And I know there were

22:55doubts this season about whether or not he's a center in the NHL. I never understood that. Uh,

23:00that was never in question for me. I mean, he's the number one center in the NHL. I think he's the

23:04prospect who has the best chance to step into the league as soon as next season and thrive. Um, there's

23:10a lot of similarities here to Macklin Celebrini. And I think we saw how this season, how well that's

23:15worked out for San Jose. So whoever picks him, whether it's first overall or somewhere in that

23:19one to two to four range, um, they're going to be pretty happy with him next season.

23:24Uh, looking at like this time of year now, like I, I have the, the, the hitman shirt on today there,

23:28um, as we're recording this tonight, uh, going into the playoffs, uh, or into the second round,

23:33sorry. Um, looking at like the, the, the lights are the brightest. It's the most important games of

23:38your season. How, when you're looking at it from a scouting perspective, how big of the overall

23:42kind of prospect pie does this playoff run mean for, for those types of players?

23:48Yeah, it could be, you know, scouts may have, um, some doubts with players or they're kind

23:55of just looking to see who takes their games to new levels as their stakes, as the stakes

24:00get higher. Um, last season with Beckett Seneca, who was probably a late first round pick before

24:06the playoffs, uh, took, uh, Oshawa helped take Oshawa all the way to the, uh, league championship

24:13game. And as soon as he was injured at the end of, I think the Eastern conference final and Oshawa

24:19didn't stand a chance against London without him, um, in that, uh, in the league final, like you saw

24:24how much value he brought to the team and what was lost from the generals once he was out of the

24:31lineup. And I think it's one of those situations where he took his game to even bigger, better

24:37heights when the lights are brighter and all the pressures on you. And you saw how the, his game

24:42breaking ability, which was very prevalent all throughout the regular season, but he just really

24:48rose to the occasion. And, um, he was just a world beater at the playoffs. Like he was incredible last

24:55year. And so, um, that performance in the post-season really catapulted him up to third overall, which

25:01is where Anaheim took him. And so, um, obviously not every player is going to get that kind of

25:07opportunity. Um, we saw like, um, Misa and Martone are both done in the first round. Shafer hasn't

25:12played yet, but, um, it's unlikely that Erie is going to beat London in the second round. So he might

25:18have like a little bit of a shorter, um, again, it's been quite short already, uh, but a

25:25shorter kind of post-season, um, depending on, you know, whether or not he's healthy enough

25:30to go to the U18s is a different story. But, um, with players who are lucky enough to be

25:35on those teams who make it three or four rounds into the playoffs or end up at the Memorial

25:40Cup, um, like, uh, obviously Preck last year, a player like Sam Dickinson, um, yeah, it just

25:47gives, uh, scouts more opportunity to see what they can do as the stakes get even higher and

25:53higher. And that could make the difference come draft day. Like, Oh, I saw this guy turn

25:58it on really well in the playoffs. And, you know, this is, this is gamer. He's got that

26:03dog in him. Like this is the kind of player I want on my team. Cause he can change our

26:08fortunes in an NHL playoff game.

26:11Uh, now you have a piece up right now, uh, part of the, the work with the, uh, elite

26:16prospects, 2025, uh, OHL priority selection, top 50 rankings. Um, I just want to pick your brain

26:21on that for a little bit because that level of scouting has interested me the last couple

26:24of years and I'll explain in a second. But, um, where, where do you find when you're putting

26:28a list together like that, how different is it preparing for a junior hockey draft, a

26:33major junior hockey draft compared to the, the NHL draft? Are you looking for things

26:37differently? Are different traits standing out? Well, what's, what, what are some of the

26:41differences or maybe even just similarities that you find between the two?

26:44Yeah. So I think you value different skill sets. Um, you find that hockey sense isn't

26:49necessarily quite as developed, which is completely natural at 14, 15 year old, 16

26:55year old players. Um, you value pace and the ability to drive play a little bit more.

27:01The skating ability is, is a big factor. Um, you don't necessarily see this. So, uh, I'll

27:07use Prec as an example, um, incredibly deceptive puck carrier and manipulator of players. Um,

27:14but that kind of skillset isn't quite as developed in the minor midget U16.

27:18Draft age group. Um, so that's not really something that's, uh, that's, that's something

27:24that's more developed later and in major junior. Um, so yeah, like value, it's value more skating

27:32and kind of just like, uh, the shooting ability, the kind of plays that they see may not necessarily

27:36be the high end plays that you're used to seeing in the OHL or the WHL or the NHL for that matter.

27:42But it's just more about looking at what kind of, um, player this could be in the OHL and kind

27:49of just leaving all the NHL stuff to the side. Like a player, a great junior player may not

27:53necessarily, um, end up being a great NHL prospect, but, um, we see it all the time. Like, um, players

28:00with certain habits score a lot more in the, in junior, but they don't necessarily translate

28:05to pro hockey. Right. So, um, yeah, it's definitely been, uh, a really fun and interesting kind of

28:13pivot, um, over the last, uh, little bit of the last month. Um, uh, yeah, it's just, it's

28:21completely different realm and, um, things that you value and things that you look for. It's not

28:27necessarily going to be the most refined hockey you've ever seen in your life, but it's still,

28:31uh, it's still exciting and, you know, there's going to be more mistakes and how do you weigh

28:36that and that sort of thing. Yeah. I I've been lucky enough to do some play by play for some

28:41events out here in Western Canada where WHL scouts are at them and stuff like that. And you'll see

28:46some of the kids was like, Oh, you're, you're here for a reason. And then you'll see some kids

28:50who's like, Oh, your parents were lied to. Um, and some other ones like that. Right. And like love

28:54of the game, all those sorts of things, of course, but it is, it's interesting because you'll see

28:59one where this kid is obviously more talented than everyone out on the ice. And sometimes his coach

29:03asks him to dump it in and it's never endingly infuriating. Or sometimes he thinks he's better

29:09than everyone and doesn't use his teammates, but also he has nine points in this game. So why

29:12wouldn't he like, there's just, there's so many different aspects when just human beings at the

29:16age of 15 are just there. It's such a wide range of who has developed into what, when. And so I find

29:23the trying to figure out, okay, is this kid just awesomer than everyone? Or is he just being a

29:27selfish puck hog and this isn't what he's supposed to be doing? And so I find, I find that aspect of

29:32it very, very interesting. Right. And you see like players, um, a lot of these kids, depending

29:38on when they hit puberty might not be finished growing yet. So I'll use Beckett Seneca as an

29:42example. Again, he was five foot 10 when he was drafted into the OHL. He is six foot four,

29:47maybe pushing six foot five. Now. Um, a lot of these players can continue to grow. It's about like

29:52kind of managing your expectations. Like, okay, the five foot nine guy right now may not necessarily

29:56be five foot nine in two years, but he also could be, it's kind of, we went back and looked

30:01at like case studies of players who grew and players who didn't, how much they kind of grow

30:06on average. Um, a lot of, a lot kind of, a lot of outside factors kind of factor into

30:11the ranking that are just not limited to their, um, on ice skills. And then you see players

30:17who are already six foot two at 16. Like, are they just a player? Are they actually innately

30:22skilled or have they just had a physical advantage on all of their peers for their entire life?

30:27And then once they get to the OHL, are they going to struggle to kind of, um, hold their

30:32own against like players who are the same size as them finally. Um, so yeah, it's been a really

30:38interesting process. Um, continuing to learn a lot. Like that's the great thing about scouting

30:42is that you're never finished learning and there's always going to be something new to discover,

30:46um, and insights to, to kind of come across. Uh, Lauren, this was a blast could do this all

30:53day. Uh, thank you so much. I know you're a golf fan, so thank you for doing this, uh,

30:56while the masters are on. Um, sorry, I realized that after I was like, well, that was really

31:00dumb of me, but, uh, thank you so much. Uh, where, where can people find your work?

31:04Uh, yeah, you can find my work, uh, at elite prospects. We do a lot of writing, um, a lot

31:09of articles, scouting reports are now up on like player, player pages. So we'll, um, you can

31:14check those out for the players that you're interested in top prospects. Um, and yeah,

31:20our NHL draft guide annually will be, uh, out in just a couple of months. So we are working

31:25away at that. Right on Lauren. This was a blast. Thank you so much. Yeah, no problem. Thanks

31:30for having me.

Zayne Parekh Scouting Report, Flames Prospects & 2025 NHL Draft Preview | Lauren Kelly Interview

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