It’s that time of year again. Everyone is at home, full of turkey and searching for the best Boxing Day deals for what Santa wasn’t able to leave under the tree. But for hockey fans, this time of year also brings one of the sport’s most cherished traditions — the World Junior Championship. For kids and adults alike, it brings a certain level of excitement over the holiday season and it all began with four games on boxing day.

For Calgary Flames fans tuning in this year, there are plenty of reasons to watch. For the first time in half a decade, Canada has two Flames prospects suiting up. Zayne Parekh looks to lead the way on defence, while Cole Reschny appears poised to play an important role at both ends of the ice throughout the tournament.

While Parekh and Reschney are the only Flames prospects representing the organization at this year’s tournament, several draft-eligible players are also worth watching. Some could very well be donning a Flames jersey following the upcoming NHL entry draft. Names to keep an eye on include Canada’s Gavin McKenna and Carter Verhoeff, Sweden’s Ivar Stenberg and Viggo Björck, and Czechia’s Adam Novotny.

Slovakia would make the Group A favourites earn this victory. After a scoreless first period, Sweden struck twice early in the second to take control. Slovakia responded with one goal late in the second and another in the third to tie the game. Sweden would score the winner late in regulation to secure a 3-2 victory and its first win of the tournament.

Ivar Stenberg led the way for Sweden, recording a goal and an assist, including the game-winning marker.

This contest was utter dominance from Finland. The Finns controlled this game all the way through, highlighted by a multi-goal performance from Roope Vesterinen and company. Denmark managed a goal early on and another in the third but finished with just ten shots on goal for the entire game. While Denmark looked more comfortable as the game went along, they were no match for this Finnish team.

Finland will likely be Canada’s biggest competition in the tournament. While the opponent was Denmark, the Finns looked like a well-structured team capable of giving Canada a run for its money. Their match-up on New Year’s Eve has the makings of a classic as it will likely determine the group winner — or at the very least, the quarterfinal match-ups.

The energy of the home crowd sure energized team U.S.A early in this one. The Americans came out strong scoring three goals in the first 15 minutes of the first period. Germany settled down a bit after the rough start and began chipping away at the American lead. With a goal late in the first and another early in the second, Germany found themselves right back in the game. Both teams would trade some goals with Germany unable to fully close the gap. German goaltender Lennart Neisse made some incredible saves but the offensive onslaught by the Americans was too much to handle as they added three in the frame to make it 6-3 headed to the third. This would be the end of the scoring in this one as the U.S starts out hot on home ice.

It was Colorado Avalanche prospect Will Zellers who led the way offensively for the Americans with a two goals and an assist. Draft eligible defenceman Chase Reid also put up a goal as he looks to make his mark on the tournament.

It probably wasn’t the start Canada was hoping for. The Canadians looked a little nervous out of the gate against Czechia, a team that has given them nightmares over the past couple of years. Thankfully, goaltender Carter George was sharp and kept Czechia off the scoresheet early on.

Brady Martin opened the scoring for Canada on a nice feed from Gavin McKenna. Czechia responded, but it didn’t take long for Michael Hage to wire home a wrist shot to restore Canada’s lead and make it 2-1.

In the second period, a breakdown in communication during a delayed penalty call left a Czechia forward alone in front of the net, allowing the Czechs to tie the game at two. More defensive-zone coverage issues followed, and Canada allowed Petr Sikora to score and give Czechia the lead.

With a sense of desperation creeping into their game, Canada responded. Flames prospect Zayne Parekh sniped home a seemingly effortless wrist shot to tie the game once again. Steven Ellis provided an accurate depiction of both the Sikora and Parekh goals:

In the third period, it was Parekh again showing off his offensive prowess, sniping home a goal to put Canada back on top. Before anyone could breathe, Czechia answered to tie the game once more. But the pace didn’t slow there. It was Tij Iginla — the son of Flames all-time great Jarome Iginla — who wired a shot home in familiar fashion to restore Canada’s lead. While it may not be as detailed as Steven Ellis’ breakdowns, here’s a look at Parekh’s second goal.

Czechia pulled back within one with five minutes remaining, setting up a tense finish. After several anxious moments, team captain Porter Martone sealed the win with an empty-net goal.

It was a wild, highly entertaining and action-packed game. In the end, Canada earned a measure of revenge against Czechia, skating away with a 7-5 victory to open the tournament in grand fashion.

It wasn’t the strongest night for Cole Reschny and his line. Built as a shutdown unit, they struggled to contain Czechia’s top players. Reschny was on the ice for the first three Czechia goals. While the opening tally wasn’t entirely on that line, coverage breakdowns led to the next two. Reschny did contribute in a key moment, playing a role on a late third-period penalty kill that helped Canada preserve its two-goal lead. Reschny will surely look to bounce back on Saturday.

It was a standout performance for Zayne Parekh. He finished with two goals and was a constant offensive threat, making the game look effortless at times. While he may shoulder some criticism for Canada’s defensive lapses, those miscues weren’t necessarily his responsibility. There is still work to be done in his own zone, but on this night, the focus can be on what he brought offensively to Team Canada. Parekh walked away with player of the game honours for his outstanding performance. This is the Zayne Parekh team Canada missed out on last year and what Flames fans should look forward to seeing in the very near future.

🇸🇰 Slovakia vs. 🇩🇪 Germany — 12 p.m. MST
🇱🇻 Latvia vs. 🇨🇦 Canada — 2:30 p.m. MST
🇺🇸 United States vs. 🇨🇭 Switzerland — 4 p.m. MST
🇩🇰 Denmark vs. 🇨🇿 Czechia — 6:30 p.m. MST

Follow along here for daily recaps for Team Canada and the rest of the World Juniors.