Calgary Flames fans hoping to see the organization’s top prospect in action at the upcoming 2026 World Junior Championship tournament got some good news on Friday morning. Flames blueliner Zayne Parekh, currently on the injury reserve list, participated in Friday’s optional practice – albeit wearing a yellow non-contact jersey.

Parekh was injured on a collision with Chicago Blackhawks forward Nick Foligno way back on Nov. 7, and has since been on the IR and dubbed “week to week” by the hockey club. He’s been skating on his own since around Nov. 22 as he works his way back from an upper body injury. He’s been on the IR long enough that he’s eligible to return whenever he’s cleared by the Flames medical staff.

As originally reported by Sportsnet’s Eric Francis and subsequently confirmed by Flames general manager Craig Conroy, the Flames plan on loaning Parekh to the Canadian national junior team for this year’s World Juniors. Canada’s training camp begins Dec. 15 in Niagara Falls, with the final roster announcement slated for Dec. 20 and the tournament running Dec. 26-Jan. 5 in St. Paul and Minneapolis, Minnesota.

The 19-year-old Parekh was a first-round pick by the Flames, ninth overall, in the 2024 NHL Draft. He entered this season with a ton of momentum, becoming the first Ontario Hockey League defender to post 100 points (or more) since Ryan Ellis in 2010-11 and becoming the first Ontario junior defender to post consecutive 30-goal seasons since Bobby Orr did so back when the OHL was called the Ontario Hockey Association. He was a late add to Canada’s World Junior camp in 2024 as an injury replacement, but was not named to the 2025 national junior roster.

Parekh’s a superb offensive hockey player who has nothing left to accomplish at the OHL level. But due to his age, and the CHL-NHL Transfer Agreement, he’s only eligible to play in the NHL or OHL this season, and so the Flames have been giving him every chance to learn the pro game in the NHL – a very difficult place to learn it. The results have been mixed, with Parekh showing flashes of brilliance, but also moments of frustration.

The hope is that he can have a successful World Juniors experience and rejoin the Flames for the stretch drive with some swagger to his game.

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