'One Hell Of A Player'

STOCKHOLM - It's not rare for a teenager to study abroad.

A little rarer to do it on international ice as a member of Team Canada, though.

But that was the position Flames prospect Zayne Parekh was put in when he accepted an invite to earn a pair of pre-tournament trials on Canada's blueline in preparation for the 2025 IIHF World Championship.

A valuable apprenticeship, no doubt.

"He's such a great kid," said Calgary rearguard MacKenzie Weegar, with Parekh along the way for the mini-tour that featured stops in storied cities Vienna and Budapest.

"I didn't really get to see him that much in training camp because I was with a different group. I know there's a lot of hype around him. I thought it was more the first game in LA that I saw him kind of be himself and be comfortable, and then he brought it here (to Europe). I thought the exhibition games that he played, he was really himself and he was jumping up in the rush. He's a gifted player.

"He's one hell of a player."

Parekh managed two skates with Canada in tune-up tilts prior to the World Championship.

He played alongside Travis Sanheim, who represented Canada at the 4 Nations Face-Off in February, in a 5-1 win against Austria on May 4, and took another twirl, this time alongside Nicolas Beaudin of HC Kometa Brno in Czech Extraliga in a 6-0 against Hungary on May 6.

He had a helper in each tilt.

And each contest brought its own lessons.

"He had an opportunity to be around a different type of player maybe than the guys he got used to being around in Calgary," said Head Coach Ryan Huska, who served as an assistant to Canadian bench boss Dean Evason at the Worlds. "Unfortunately at that time, (Sidney Crosby) wasn't there, (Nathan) MacKinnon wasn't there, but (Macklin) Celebrini was and you have (Adam) Fantilli and you have all the other young players that were there.

"For me, I guess I was hopeful that he did a lot of watching and trying to evaluate and really pay attention to what they look like on and off the ice, because those are the young stars of the game who do things the right way. It was very evident.

"I hope he picked some of that stuff up.

"He's coming to camp next year and he's going to do everything he can to make our team out of camp."

That's the goal after a pair of standout seasons with the Saginaw Spirit in the OHL.

Parekh set the 'O' on its ear in 2024-25, netting 33 goals and 107 points in just 61 games. Unsurprisingly, he led all blueliners in goals, points, and assists (74).

It was an impressive encore to his NHL Draft season where the Nobleton, Ont. blueliner had 96 points (33G, 63A) and would eventually be snagged ecstatically by the Flames with the ninth pick in the 2024 NHL Draft.

Those back-to-back 30-plus goal efforts put him in rare air, joining Bobby Orr - yes, that Bobby Orr - as the only pair of rearguards to accomplish the feat in the association's history. Those two seasons, in terms of production, rank first and third respectively over the course of the last 30 years on the circuit, too.

That junior experience, and his European excursion, should have Parekh pressing for a position back on home soil.

He should be better poised for the push, after all.

"It's an exciting time for Calgary," Weegar said.

"He's one hell of a player."