The Calgary Flames most exciting young player will be representing Canada at the upcoming World Junior Championship over the winter holidays. If he’s healthy enough.

Sportsnet’s Eric Francis reported on Wednesday morning that the Flames plan on loaning defenceman Zayne Parekh to the Canadian national junior team for the upcoming World Juniors, which run Dec. 26 to Jan. 5 in St. Paul and Minneapolis, Minnesota.

However, Parekh’s loan is dependent on his recovery from an upper body injury that he’s currently nursing. Parekh is currently on the Flames’ injury reserve list after suffering an injury on a hit from Chicago’s Nick Foligno back on Nov. 7. The Flames have dubbed Parekh’s status as “week-to-week.”

The first of two first-round selections by the Flames in the 2024 NHL Draft, taken at ninth overall, Parekh quickly emerged as the Flames’ top prospect. In his draft year he was named the top defenceman in both the Ontario Hockey League and the broader Canadian Hockey League, and helped lead the Saginaw Spirit to a Memorial Cup. Last season he became the first OHL blueliner to hit three digits in points (107) since Ryan Ellis way back in 2010-11, and became the first OHL defender to put up back-to-back 30-goal campaigns (with 33) since Bobby Orr, back when the league was called the Ontario Hockey Association. He was a late invite to Canada’s World Junior camp last winter, but did not make the team.

With nothing left to accomplish in the OHL, and prohibited by his age from joining the AHL’s Calgary Wranglers due to the CHL-NHL Transfer Agreement, Parekh joined the Flames this season. His play has varied between decent to iffy, if we’re being honest: he’s obviously got a knack for creating offence, but he seemed to be playing a bit slow and processing things on the ice rather than naturally reacting quickly, as he had done in the OHL. That’s not wholly unexpected, as the speed and physicality of the NHL is worlds different than what he’s previously experienced.

In 11 games with the Flames, playing on the third pairing and second power play unit, Parekh posted just a single assist prior to his injury.

Canada is slated to begin their World Junior training camp in Niagara Falls, Ontario on Dec. 12 and should have their roster locked in around Dec. 20. Parekh would be eligible to be sent on an AHL conditioning stint once he returns to the Flames from his injury, but it’s probably too early to guesstimate precisely when he’ll be back in action.

But at the very least, Parekh has a pretty exciting motivation as he works his way back from injury.

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