Calgary Flames prospect Zayne Parekh made his professional debut on the international level with Team Canada yesterday and did not disappoint. Canada faced off against Austria in a pre-tournament game, winning 5–1 showing a lot of promise heading into this year’s IIHF World Championships.
FINAL | O'Reilly and Cuylle had a goal and an assist each as 🇨🇦 beat 🇦🇹 in pre-#MensWorlds play.
— Hockey Canada (@HockeyCanada) May 4, 2025
FINAL | O'Reilly et Cuylle inscrivent un but et une aide chacun, et le 🇨🇦 bat l’🇦🇹 en match préparatoire du #MondialMasculin.
📊 https://t.co/CKRhyMoBBP
📊 https://t.co/fWnpsw3BbH pic.twitter.com/D8LWkH8nKx
Game summary
While the score would certainly make it seem like it was a dominant performance by Canada throughout, that was not necessarily the case. The Canadians would be the first to score with Ryan O’Reilly scoring just three minutes into the game. Still, Austria would not take long to respond with David Maier, a forward for EC-KAC of the ICEHL, beating Canada’s Dylan Garand just four minutes later.
The remaining 12 minutes of the first period would be uneventful without either team giving up as much as a penalty. In the 2nd period, Austria finally gave Canada a chance to gain some momentum in the form of a slashing penalty on Peter Schneider. On that power play, rookie sensation Macklin Celebrini came in clutch for Canada, opening the floodgates for more to come.
Less than a minute later, Ty Ronning, a former New York Ranger, found the back of the net as well, putting Canada up by two.
Deciding that was not enough, the Calgary Flames’ own Zayne Parekh found Will Cuylle with an impressive pass to add another, sending Canada into the 2nd intermission up 4–1.
Canada would coast off of their dominant 3rd period to a 5–1 victory over Austria. The final goal came with just 1:16 left in the 3rd period off the stick of Tyson Foerster. Will Cuylle, Ryan O’Reilly, and Noah Dobson would lead Canada in points, all finishing the game with two points each. Zayne Parekh would end with one assist in his international debut.
Zayne Parekh more than passed the eye test
The Calgary Flames first-rounder looked excellent in his first shot at international hockey. He would line up next to Philadelphia Flyers defenceman Travis Sanheim and fit right in on Canada’s top pair.
Parekh would show off his impressive play-driving abilities at multiple points throughout the game, but perhaps there was no greater example than on his assist on Will Cuylle’s goal. Parekh received the puck on the right side of the ice, just inside the blueline, off a pass from Sanheim. He would immediately catch the winger defending him flat-footed and drive towards the corner. Without even accelerating, he fakede inside before taking the puck behind the goal and making a perfect pass into the slot to Cuylle for Canada’s 4th goal. Zayne Parekh’s ability to make everyone else on the ice look slow was on full display on the international stage.
In his own zone, Parekh struggled a bit in the corners, which wasn’t unexpected. With only one professional game under his belt before this pre-tournament match, nobody assumed he would immediately be used to the more physical parts of the game. His strength in the corners will most likely improve with more time and experience at the pro-level.
Parekh is not done yet?
Canada plays their final pre-tournament game on Tuesday, May 6th against Hungary. It has yet to be announced whether or not Parekh will play in this game, but with how he played against Austria, it would be hard to imagine Canada not wanting to get another look at the young defenceman.
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