Zayne Parekh is coming off a historic season in the OHL with the Saginaw Spirit: the second defenceman of the 21st century to hit 100 points and the only defenceman other than Bobby Orr to hit 30 goals twice. Parekh joined the Calgary Flames and made his NHL debut in the last game of the season, scoring his first NHL goal. Today, it was announced that Parekh will be heading over to Europe to join Team Canada at the IIHF Men’s Worlds.
What this means for Parekh
When the Flames’ season ended, many people were expecting Parekh to join the Calgary Wranglers for their playoff run. However, the Flames decided against it. With how much hockey Parekh has played in the past two seasons—including a Memorial Cup championship in 2024—a focus on being prepared for training camp was preferred.
Now, with joining Team Canada at Worlds, Parekh has a huge opportunity to learn a thing or two about hockey at the professional level. It is not guaranteed he’ll play and is probably unlikely, but even the scrimmages will be good practice. With the snub of the World Juniors team as well, joining Team Canada already shows that Parekh is starting to get in the good books of Hockey Canada, and another snub is highly unlikely.
There has been debate amongst fans about what the Flames should do with Parekh next season. He’s obviously way too good for the OHL, but it might not be the smartest idea to throw a 19-year-old defenceman in the NHL. There are still parts of Parekh’s game that need to be rounded out before he can fully dominate. He is not eligible for the AHL because he is too young, and he cannot join the NCAA due to his entry-level contract. Nonetheless, Parekh looked great in all 20 minutes of his debut, and he earned some more trust that he could hold his own next season.
Being ready for next season
Getting as much practice as he can against the best will do wonders for Parekh. At the start of the season, Parekh called training camp humbling. But now, Parekh has taken many steps forward in his game. He is the super-talented hockey player on the back-end that this team has been deprived of for a while.
If Parekh suits up for a game for Canada, even better. The focus with Parekh will be keeping him in shape and avoiding injury throughout the offseason. With some strength added and a focus on cleaning things up defensively, the Flames may be looking at their stud defenceman even earlier than expected.
