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FN Report Cards: Zayne Parekh took a major step forward in his development
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Photo credit: © Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
Robert Munnich
May 4, 2026, 14:00 EDTUpdated: May 4, 2026, 12:09 EDT
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Heading into the 2025-26 season there were a few interesting storylines for Calgary Flames fans to follow. Could the Flames get into the playoffs after missing by one point the year prior? Could Dustin Wolf be even better in his sophomore season? What was going to happen with Rasmus Andersson?
But the storyline that captured the most interest of Flames fans was Zayne Parekh’s rookie season. The Flames haven’t had a prospect as talented and as hyped as Parekh since Matthew Tkachuk in 2016. Parekh was voted as the best defenceman in the CHL in 2025 after putting up 33 goals and 107 points with the Saginaw Spirit. He was the first defenceman in the OHL to score 30+ goals in back to back seasons since Bobby Orr.
It wasn’t a perfect rookie season for the Flames’ talented defenceman. But he took some major steps forward in his development.

Expectations

Expectations for Parekh were high, and for good reason. He is one of the most exciting, talented, and dynamic prospects the Flames organization has had in the last 30 years. He dominated at the junior level and put up similar numbers to the great Bobby Orr.
But were we putting too much pressure on Parekh’s shoulders? Keep in mind that he was 19 years old heading into this season. Playing defence at a high level in the NHL at that age is almost unheard of. The Matthew Schaefers of the world are the exception, not the rule.
The top young, offensive defencemen in the NHL like Quinn Hughes, Cale Makar, Lane Hutson, and Evan Bouchard all started their careers when they were 20-21 years old. Parekh started at 19.
On top of that Parekh couldn’t play full time in the AHL this season. So it was either play the OHL, a league that he proved he was to good for, or play in the NHL, the best league in the world.
Looking back on the beginning of the season, our expectations might have been too high.

Performance

It was a fascinating rookie season for Parekh that featured a lot of highs and lows.
He started his season in the press box watching his teammates take on the Edmonton Oilers and Vancouver Canucks on back to back nights. This was done on purpose by Ryan Huska who wanted to ease Parekh’s way into the NHL.
Things got off to a rocky start for Parekh when he got into the Flames lineup. He was put in a tough situation because the team was playing awful hockey in the first month of the season. In Parekh’s first 11 games, he only put up one point, he was turning the puck over at the blueline that led to breakaways against, and he was taking big hits. He looked like a player who was getting used to the speed of the NHL. On top of that he was lacking confidence and belief in himself.
Parekh was injured on Nov. 7 in a game against the Chicago Blackhawks and he was on the sideline until the World Juniors.
The best thing to happen to Parekh was going to the World Juniors where he was able to play against his age group and get his confidence back.
Parekh set a Canadian record for points by a defenceman in a single tournament with 13 points (6 goals, 7 assists) in seven games.
This was the catalyst to getting Parekh’s rookie season back on the rails.
Following the world juniors, Parekh was sent to the AHL on a conditioning stint where he put up five points in four games.
It was clear after the World Juniors and AHL conditioning stint that Parekh was ready to get back in the Flames NHL lineup.
Parekh returned to the Flames lineup on February 2nd against the Toronto Maple Leafs and never looked back.
From Feb. 2 to the end of the season, Parekh put up 8 points in 26 games. His point production doesn’t tell the story. What was really impressive was the eye test. Parekh looked like a completely different player when he got back in the Flames lineup.
His decision making was the part of his game that took the biggest step forward. He wasn’t forcing plays. He was making quick decisions. And he was avoiding big hits.
And we started to see the high end skill-set that made Parekh the 9th overall pick in the 2024 draft. He was making tape to tape stretch passes. He was dancing with the puck along the offensive blueline. And he was able to get a lot more shots on net.
Parekh went from a player in October who looked like he wasn’t ready for the NHL, to a someone who finished the season as a confident high end offensive defenceman.

Outlook

The future is very bright for Parekh.
He showed in the second half of his season that he has the potential to be an elite offensive defenceman in the NHL. The comparisons to guys like Erik Karlsson and Evan Bouchard don’t seem unrealistic. Parekh has the skill and talent to be a 70+ point player.
Next year we are going to see Parekh become an everyday NHL player who will have a bigger role at 5-on-5 and run the top power play unit which will help his point production.
It would not surprise me if Parekh will be at least a half point per game player. He’s going to come into training camp bigger, stronger, and faster. Take that and the added confidence he gained at the end of the season, watch out. Parekh is going to have a successful sophomore season.
Letter Grade: B+
The first part of Parekh’s season earned him a C. And his second half earned him an A+. Meet in the middle for a B+ grade for his rookie season.
His progression this year was very impressive to watch. I don’t think Parekh could have grown more as a player and a person. That’s going to bode well for the Flames star defenceman moving forward.

Highlights

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