When Zayne Parekh was reassigned to his junior team in the fall, he made a bold prediction. Read More
First-round pick Zayne Parekh has joined the Calgary Flames for the final five games of the season. But will he suit up?
First-round pick Zayne Parekh has joined the Calgary Flames for the final five games of the season. But will he suit up?
Article content
When Zayne Parekh was reassigned to his junior team in the fall, he made a bold prediction.
Article content
Article content
Now, as this highly touted prospect rejoins the Calgary Flames, he could have an opportunity to help prove himself right.
Article content
Parekh has officially been recalled after the conclusion of his junior season, news that will delight most in the C of Red. The 19-year-old blue-liner has joined the Flames in Anaheim, where speculation will turn to whether this first-round draft pick could log his NHL debut as they continue their chase for a wild-card spot.
Article content
Story continues below
Article content
The most likely scenario is that bench boss Ryan Huska will want him to participate in several practices before his first taste of big-league action.
Article content
Noon News Roundup
Article content
“I came back from training camp and I told all the boys on my team, ‘I think they’re going to make the playoffs this year,’ ” Parekh told Postmedia during a recent interview. “I know it’s surprising because everybody thought they weren’t going to be great, but I actually thought they might make the playoffs because I just saw the way they were going about their business and I always thought they had some pretty good depth there — and Wolfie is lighting it up, too, which is fun to see.”
Article content
Just like Dustin Wolf, Parekh is considered one of the Flames’ future cornerstones.
Article content
The right-handed rearguard piece together a historic season for the Saginaw Spirit, piling up 33 goals and 74 assists to post the highest point total by an OHL defenceman since the mid-90s.
Article content
He also joined the legendary Bobby Orr as only the second blue-liner in OHA/OHL history to pot 30 goals in consecutive campaigns.
Article content
While the Spirit were bounced in the opening round of playoffs, paving the way for this call-up, Parekh notched a team-high nine points in five springtime skates. On the not-so-good side, he also finished with a minus-5 rating.
Article content
If Parekh does suit up for the Flames in any of their remaining five regular-season games, he’d be second-youngest defenceman to skate in ‘The Show’ in 2024-25.
Article content
The Flames are currently four points out of the final wild-card in the Western Conference. They face the Anaheim Ducks on Wednesday at Honda Center.
Article content
Article content