The OHL Round Up: March
Andrew Barrett
2025-04-07
The Milestone Men:
The OHL Season has come to an end. There were some big milestones reached this season in many different categories. A defenseman breaking the 100-point mark for the first time in 14 years, a goal scorer breaking the 70-goal mark for the first time in 18 years, and a Maple Leafs prospect recording at least a point in 65 consecutive regular season games spanning over two seasons.
Calgary Flames – Zayne Parekh (D) – The 100 point Defenseman
Mr. Parekh, is a magician on the ice, with and without the puck. Everything he does offensively is as good as it gets at the Junior level. The hands, the vision, the shot and the skating are all extremely dynamic. On the powerplay, he walks the line effortlessly, thanks to an endless bag of tricks, he will pump fake you, make you freeze with a head fake and he’s got one of the smoothest Spin-o-rama’s you’ll ever seen, that I image would make Denis Savard proud. With his skill he can make a closing winger look silly as he gets to the high slot with ease, once he is there the goalie does not stand much chance as he rifles a bullet of a shot that is deadly accurate. In his own zone, while his vision and creativity allow him to find the best option to help break out of the zone, the creativity can also lead to some forced passes that turn into turnovers. The biggest issue for Parekh can be his consistent effort on the defensive end, he can float in and out of the play cheating for offensive, which can lead to scoring chances for the opposing team. When he is in the mood however, he competes hard and can play a physical style on the defensive end that annoys opposing forwards. This season has been as good as you could hope for, for Parekh. With 107 points in 61 games played, Parekh has the 6th most points by a defenseman and is the first defenseman to crack the 100-point mark since Ryan Ellis did it in 2010-2011. He is pushing towards the top of the list as being crowned the best NHL Prospect that’s not in the NHL.
61_Games Played: 33 G | 74 A | 107 TP | 1.75 PPG | 96 PIM | 243 SOG | 13.6 SH%
Parekh – The Highlights:
Getting to the high slot with ease and the NHL ready release:
Showing off the skating ability and compete, he was doing everything he could to score on this shift:
Hitting the 100-point mark in style with a great shot.
Showing off the vision, from his knees!
Chicago Blackhawks – Nick Lardis (RW) – The 70 Goal Sniper.
When you’re hot, you’re hot, and this season Nick Lardis was on fire. Scoring 71 goals, everything he touched went in the back of the net. He has found himself in rarefied air with this milestone, tied with Eric Lindros for 6th most goals in a single season in the OHL and the first to crack the 70-goal mark since John Tavares did it in 2006-07. It goes without saying when you score 70 plus goals that his release is his biggest weapon. It also does not hurt having a teammate who is an excellent playmaker, shoutout Patrick Thomas (WSH), the duo have been electric this campaign. Lardis has taken advantage of Thomas’s excellent vision and play making ability but has also made sure that when he’s in a scoring position with the puck on his stick, he is getting his shot off in a hurry. That quick release and powerful shot have been catching goalies off guard all season. To go along with the great shot, Lardis is also a smooth skater, with great play making ability. The Oakville native will need to work on his physicality and compete on the defensive end to ensure he is getting an opportunity at the NHL level. He has been showing signs of doing what it takes to compete on the defensive end, using his speed and smarts to take away time and space and get his stick in the way to disrupt the opposition. This will need to continue a more consistent basis. As Lardis continues to develop on the finer details of his game over the next couple of seasons, he has the makings of a potential middle-six winger for the Blackhawks.
65 Games Played: 71 G | 46 A | 117 TP | 1.80 PPG | 16 PIM | 375 SOG | 18.9 SH%
Lardis – The Highlights:
70Goals!
The Quick release in tight:
He’s got a one timer too!
Here, Lardis scores at the end of the play, but he shows off the vision in his own zone, slowing things down to find a seam and making a nice little pass up the middle of the ice to get the puck out of the zone:
Toronto Maple Leafs – Easton Cowan (RW/C) – Mr. Consistent.
65 games! It is an unofficial record, but Easton Cowan’s regular season point streak that stretched over two seasons had the entire hockey world buzzing. Last year’s Red Tilson Trophy winner as the OHL’s MVP of the season has taken a slight step back this year, by his standards. With 69 points in 46 games played the production has dipped to a 1.50 PPG clip, compared to 1.78 PPG last campaign. The point streak, that started on Nov 25th, 2023, came to an end on February 7th, 2025. While he has moments where he can float through periods of the game, overall, he has shown he plays with a high compete level in all three zones. He has been a water bug on the ice controlling the play along the outside and is not afraid to make a move to get to the middle of the ice. In the corners and along the boards he can be extremely elusive working in tight spaces, he changes direction quickly and is so good on his edges he can find a way to slip off the wall to set up a teammate. Despite the dip in production this season The Mount Brydges, Ontario native finished the season hot, with a new ten game point streak, scoring nine goals and 15 assists over that span. With the regular season behind him, the focus now shifts to the OHL Playoffs, looking to help get the London Knights back to the Memorial Cup, watch for Cowan to do everything in his power to make that happen.
46 Games Played: 29 G | 40 A | 69 TP | 1.50 PPG | 41 PIM | 163 SOG | 17.8 SH%
Cowan – The Highlights:
Knock-knock. Who’s there? It’s Easton Cowan, he’s at the back door with the sneaky take away followed by the snipe.
Showing off the hands. He Deke’s himself out on this one:
Great Hockey IQ with these two quick dishes:
Water bug:
2025 NHL Draft Prospects – Regular Season Stats:
Top Forwards:
- Michael Misa: C, Saginaw: 65 GP – 62G – 72 A – 2.1 PPG
- Porter Martone: RW, Brampton: 57 GP – 37 G – 61 A – 1.7 PPG
- Jake O’Brien: C, Brantford: 66 GP – 32 G – 66 A – 1.5 PPG
- Brady Martin: C, The Soo: 57 GP – 33 G – 39 A – 1.3 PPG
- Malcom Spence: LW, Barrie: 65 GP – 32 G – 41 A – 1.1 PPG
- Jack Nesbitt: C, Windsor: 65 GP – 25 G – 39 A – 1.0 PPG
Top Defenseman:
- Matthew Schaefer: D, Erie: 17 GP – 7 G – 15 A – 1.3 PPG
- Kashawn Aitcheson: D, Barrie: 64 GP – 26 G – 33 A – 0.9 PPG
- Cameron Reid: D, Kitchener: 67 GP – 14 G – 40A – 0.8 PPG
Top Goalies:
- Ben Hrebik: G, Barrie: 34 GP – 21W – 9L – 2OTL – 0.920 SV% – 2.87 GAA
- Alexei Medvedev: G, London: 34 GP – 22 W – – 8 L – 2 OTL – 0.912 SV% 2.79 GAA
- Jack Ivankovic: G, Brampton: 43 GP – 25 W – 12L – 5 OTL – 0.903 Save % – 3.05 GAA
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