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Hockey Canada has a problem of not sending the best available players to tournaments
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Photo credit: Sergei Belski-Imagn Images
Ryley Delaney
Jan 2, 2026, 14:00 ESTUpdated: Jan 2, 2026, 00:14 EST
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If you like hockey and like the Calgary Flames, you know how Zayne Parekh is performing at the annual World Junior Championships.
It’s not a hot take to say he’s been Team Canada’s best player, perhaps even the tournament’s best player. Through the four group stage games, the right-shot defenceman has four goals and eight points. Those eight points are tied for the tournament lead alongside future Flame Gavin McKenna and 2026-draft eligible Tomáš Chrenko.
The difference between Parekh and the other two players is that he’s a defenceman. But it’s not just accumulating points that has made Parekh a vital part of Team Canada, as he logs significant minutes on Canada’s top pairing. Not too shabby for a player making his tournament debut.
Realistically, it shouldn’t have been his first tournament. Yes, the right-shot defenceman was left off Team Canada’s roster in 2025, despite scoring 33 goals and 96 points the year prior en route to a Memorial Cup trophy for the Saginaw Spirit.
When Hockey Canada announced their selection camp on Dec. 2, Parekh wasn’t even invited, at least not immediately. On Dec. 1, Parekh picked up an assist to bring his season totals to eight goals and 30 points in 23 games, but despite scoring 33 goals the season before and being a point-per-game player, Parekh was only invited to the camp when Harrison Brunicke suffered a wrist injury. That came two days after the initial camp announcement.
But it wasn’t just Parekh left off the selection camp roster, at least initially. Carter Yakemchuk (2024, seventh overall), Beckett Sennecke (2024, third overall), and Michael Misa (2025 second overall), were all left off the selection camp when it was announced on Dec. 2. If you’re wondering, Parekh went on to score 33 goals for the second consecutive season, making him the second defenceman in Ontario Hockey League to manage the feat (Bobby Orr was the first).
Team Canada didn’t send its best players for the 2025 World Juniors, and they predictably were bounced in the quarterfinals for the second consecutive season after finishing third in their group, due in large part to a loss to Latvia in the group stage. Thankfully, things appear to be different this year, as Canada finished first in their group for the first time since the 2022 tournament.
After every time Parekh does something impressive in the tournament, it’s hard not to say “Parekh should’ve been on last tournament’s roster.” In fact, that’s what I tweet every single time. Initially, that’s what this article was about because I spent [redacted] dollars on a ticket to the New Year’s Eve game against Team USA last year. However, once the Olympic rosters were announced on New Year’s Eve 2025, the same issues plague Hockey Canada.
The team that they’ll send to Milan later this year is not the best team, especially when it comes to their defence. A big reason why Team Canada didn’t medal in the 2025 WJC was because of Matthew Schaefer’s injury early in the tournament. Despite not playing another game after the injury, Schaefer went first overall, and has proceeded to score 10 goals and 26 points in 41 games this season. Evan Bouchard, Jakob Chychrun, and even MacKenzie Weegar have the same case.
Up front, there’s a legitimate case in saying that Connor Bedard, Mark Scheifele, and Sam Bennett were snubbed, while Mackenzie Blackwood should’ve been on the roster over Jordan Binnington.
Hockey Canada’s prestige has waned in the past several years, and not picking the best available players is a big reason for that. You need look no further than the last two seasons in their 2025 World Juniors selection and the recent Olympic selections as prime examples.
Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for FlamesNation, Oilersnation, and Blue Jays Nation. She can be followed on Twitter @Ryley__Delaney.

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