Zachary Parechkin: Burnaby Legend [1/2]

[Dangles13 373]

Seventeen seasons have come and gone since 6'3" Zachary Parechkin decided to terrorize the VHLM with the now-defunct Bern Royals. Parechkin helped the Royals to a second place finish, while the Moscow Red Wolves were narrowly able to hold them off; Zach's mind-boggling 78 goals and 163 points in 72 games saw him take home the Ethan Osborne, Alexander Chershenko and Mitch Higgins trophies. The Royals were unable to capitalize on the electric rookies' phenomenal campaign as they were swept by the impressive Red Wolves who also swept the Brampton Blades on their way to their first-ever Founder's Cup victory.

 

 

It was no surprise when the Legion skipped to the podium to select prolific winger first overall at the S46 VHL Entry draft. It did not take long for the Burnaby native to make his mark in the league; Parechkin scored his first goal in his first game while firing six shots and doling out six hits on en route to being named the second star of the game. The Legion would lose this game but it was not an indicator of the season to come; Toronto would improve from 27 points to 53 on the backs of their young superstars, even earning a chance to play in the playoffs. Parechkin would take home the Christian Stolzschweiger trophy as the leagues top rookie, this was a modest start to what was going to be a modest start to an impressive career.

 

Parechkin was a hulking winger with great hands and a nose for the net, he was a power forward of great repute. This was best demonstrated in the S51 season. Zach made a good go of chasing down the single-season record for most hits but he fell just seven hits short of Valmount's 441. Zach may have been able to chase down the hits record but he was busy doing other things that season, scoring goals at a ridiculous rate. The S51 was Parechkin's best season and his 17 powerplay markers are tied for second-most in a VHL season.

 

The S51 season was the apex of Parechkin's career and he cleaned up at the awards ceremony because of it. Zach was named the league's MVP and awarded the Brett Slobodzian Trophy for his efforts. Parechkin was also recognized for his immense leadership qualities with his 3rd Grimm Jonsson trophy in four seasons; Zach would go on to win his 4th Grimm Jonsson the following season, his last with Toronto. The 65 times that the power forward was able to deposit the biscuit into the back of the net paced the league and allowed him to take home the Kevin Brooks Trophy, however, the big Russian-Canadian was taught the value of two-way play and was crowned the top two-way forward in the league; The Scott Boulet Trophy would also find it's way onto his mantle that season.

Parechkin's sublime talents did not just capture him many personal accolades, he used his leadership talents to inspire greatness from his teammates. Zach was a focal point of a Legion dynasty that saw them become the first team to win the Continental Cup a staggering three times in a row with Parechkin nabbing the Daisuke Kanou trophy as the playoff MVP in S49. The Legion only brought home one Victory Cup during Parechkin's time with the team but he managed to capture another with the Seattle Bears in his final season in the league.

 

Parechkin's Home of Burnaby

 

After 360 games of steamrolling VHL defenders on his way to the net, Zach decided it was time to end his career and move onto greener pastures but the legacy he left behind was one to be proud of. Emerging power forwards can look to his career and have something to strive for, a barometer to measure their mettle against as they try to carve out a niche in the league. Here's to one of the true greats!

 

Regular Season

Season	GP	G	A	P	+/-	SHT	PIM	HIT	SB	GW	PPG	SHG
53 (SEA)	72	51	62	113	76	529	119	350	35	10	7	0
52 (TOR)	72	50	48	98	41	512	124	362	33	11	11	1
51 (TOR)	72	65	66	131	83	529	92	434	39	17	9	0
50 (TOR)	72	34	43	77	35	413	110	356	40	13	2	0
49 (TOR)	72	56	59	115	53	560	144	393	38	10	8	1
Totals	360	256	278	534	288	2543	589	1895	185	61	37	2

 

Playoffs

Season	GP	G	A	P	+/-	SHT	PIM	HIT	SB	GW	PPG	SHG
53 (SEA)	7	7	3	10	2	45	12	35	1	1	0	0
51 (TOR)	18	7	14	21	6	119	36	95	9	4	2	0
50 (TOR)	13	6	5	11	-4	89	18	66	5	2	1	0
49 (TOR)	16	13	9	22	5	83	36	65	10	4	4	1
48 (TOR)	11	5	6	11	6	88	22	35	3	0	1	0
Totals	65	38	37	75	15	424	124	296	28	11	8	1

[DollarAndADream 3,357]

@Dangles13 He actually had a full, 8 season career. Some of that is missing from the portal, which is a problem for other old players as well on the portal.

 

His other stats are here,

Although that one is missing his final Seattle season which you have!

 

[Dangles13 373]

8 minutes ago, DollarAndADream said:

@Dangles13 He actually had a full, 8 season career. Some of that is missing from the portal, which is a problem for other old players as well on the portal.

 

His other stats are here,

Although that one is missing his final Seattle season which you have!

 

I figured he had more games played but I am at work and did this on my lunch. Still, great career.

[DollarAndADream 3,357]

1 minute ago, Dangles13 said:

I figured he had more games played but I am at work and did this on my lunch. Still, great career.

Yeah, his 3 seasons missing from this write-up actually made him even better. He was over point per game in all of them too!

Great write-up. I always love reading about Parechkin as many times as I already have! He's my peak player, I'd think.

[Dangles13 373]

4 minutes ago, DollarAndADream said:

Yeah, his 3 seasons missing from this write-up actually made him even better. He was over point per game in all of them too!

Great write-up. I always love reading about Parechkin as many times as I already have! He's my peak player, I'd think.

 

I joined the VHL just in time for your MVP season. I remember taking you 1st in fantasy I think. I actually modelled my first player after you and then I fell off.

Edited September 15, 2018 by Dangles13

[JG10 28]

572 words, good article my WR. Like that you put effort in the graphics even though it's a media spot and gave us the stats at the bottom