Zayne Parekh was drafted 9th overall in the grandiose Vegas sphere. In that moment, Flames faithful were still upset over Utah drafting Tij Iginla 6th overall. However, diehard fans of the Flames knew the 18-year-old defenceman hailing from the Memorial Cup Champion Saginaw Spirit was something special.
Parekh Dominated The OHL In 24–25
Parekh swiftly dominated the OHL in the 24–25 campaign, recording 33 goals and 107 points in 61 games.
The Flames called up Parekh after the Flames were eliminated from playoff contention in game 81 of the season. Parekh, alongside Aydar Suniev, Sam Morton and Hunter Brzustewicz, took the ice in their NHL debut. In fact, Parekh tallied his first National Hockey League goal in his first career game. His strong play in his debut made him all but a lock to crack the opening night roster in 25–26.
A “Rough” Start In Calgary
It came as a surprise to no one when Parekh cracked the Flames’ opening night lineup back in October. Then, it came as a disappointment to many when Ryan Huska and company chose to healthy scratch Parekh. It had been in favour of Brayden Pachal for the team’s opening bid against the Oilers. Parekh made his season debut on the team’s 3rd pairing alongside the aforementioned Pachal. Although, the game ended in a 4–2 loss to the St. Louis Blues in the club’s home-opener.
From there, Parekh continued to share time between the press box and Flames 3rd pairing. It was usually alongside the likes of Joel Hanley, Brayden Pachal and Jake Bean. Parekh only posted one point in his first 11 games with the Flames. It was an assist against the Winnipeg Jets in October. The youngster’s “poor play” was beginning to draw criticism from both media and fans. Complaints flew about Parekh being “too small”, “too soft”, and “A boy playing amongst men.”
This criticism was further amplified after the rookie defenceman was sidelined for over two months. He had suffered an upper-body injury following a Nick Foligno check.
The Bounce Back
Parekh was electric in the 2026 World Juniors. He set a new record for points by a Canadian defenceman in an individual tournament, with six goals and seven assists in only seven games. Despite some “controversial” comments, Parekh packed his bags, his bronze medal and made the trek back to Calgary to rejoin his NHL club.
Building For The Future
Following a brief conditioning stint in the American League, Zayne was recalled to play in a tilt against the Maple Leafs in early February. Parekh continued to play minimal 3rd pairing minutes until Craig Conroy dropped the bomb. After pending UFA Rasmus Andersson was dealt to Vegas, most thought that would be the gist of the Flames’ trade activity. This was not the case, as we know. Mackenzie Weegar was traded to the Utah Mammoth, and the Colorado Avalanche reclaimed fan-favourite Nazem Kadri. The message was clear: The future is now.
Since then, “ZP19” has been promoted as QB1 for the Flames 1st power play unit. The PP1 unit included the likes of Matvei Gridin, Matt Coronato and Morgan Frost. Parekh had a game-tying power play snipe against the Los Angeles Kings on March 24. A few days later, he had a power play goal against the Canucks on March 28. and overall confident play have proved one major point: he DOES belong. He does deserve top minutes on the power play. While yes, he is still stapled to the 3rd pairing as of this writing, that is all but set in stone to change shortly.
Zayne Parekh no longer looks like “a boy playing against men.” He looks comfortable, confident, and ready to prove his doubters wrong. As Matvei Gridin said following the Flames’ 3–2 shootout victory over the Kings, “Hopefully we’ll play for 15 more years together and generate a lot.”
That statement isn’t far-fetched. Whilst the playoffs are all but out of the equation for the Playoffs, we’re starting to see glimpses of Craig Conroy’s vision being built almost as quickly as Scotia Place next door.
