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The Flames’ best goals of 2025-26: Zayne Parekh eludes defender and snipes it from a tough angle

Photo credit: © Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

By Ryley Delaney

Jul 29, 2026, 14:00 EDTUpdated: Jul 29, 2026, 14:15 EDT

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The 2025-26 season was Zayne Parekh’s first full season in the National Hockey League.

It was a mixed bag, to say the least. Drafted ninth overall in 2024, he was far too good for the Ontario Hockey League, scoring back-to-back 30 goal seasons with the Saginaw Spirit, something no defenceman in the league had done since Bobby Orr. However, he was not old enough to play in the American Hockey League.

So the 2025-26 season was a weird year for his development. There was certainly some good for the right-shot defenceman. Parekh suited up for Team Canada at the 2026 World Juniors, helping his country (which he should’ve played for at the 2025 tournament as well) win the bronze medal.

On an individual note, Parekh’s 13 points set an all-time Team Canada record at the tournament for defencemen, besting Alex Pietrangelo (2010) and Bryan McCabe (1995), who each had 12. Parekh finished one shy of matching Peter Andersson’s record of 14 points by a defenceman that was set in the 1985 tournament.

Due to injury and the tournament, Parekh played just 37 games, scoring four goals and nine points. Over 82 games, that’d be good for just under 20 points, not a bad rookie season on a bad team.

One of his other great moments came in the final game of the season, saving the best for last. The Flames and Los Angeles Kings were tied up at one six minutes into the third before the defenceman flashed some individual brilliance.

The Flames won an offensive zone face-off, and Zach Whitecloud made a D-to-D pass to the youngster. Parekh got past his winger with a quick stop and a toe drag, then drove down low. There were no options, so Parekh button hooked with the defender hot on his trail. Parekh attempted the same play again, this time stopping quickly and making the defender fly by him.

Robert Munnich

@Robert_Munnich

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🔥FLAMES GOAL🔥 ZAYNE PAREKH SCORES AN INCREDIBLE GOAL 🤩 🎥: Sportsnet | #Flames

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3:09 AM · Apr 17, 2026

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This time, Parekh had time to shoot, firing it from a poor angle. It didn’t matter, though, as the defenceman fired it off where the post and crossbar meet, going bar-down. This goal happened to be not just the game-winner, but also the final goal that the Flames scored on a netminder in 2025-26.

Simply put, Parekh is going to be a very, very good player for the Flames in the coming seasons. He’s been compared to Evan Bouchard, but from watching both players this season, Parekh has the potential to be the better pure offensive defenceman. As good as Bouchard is offensively (and he’s not nearly as bad defensively as some say), he’s never scored a goal like this.

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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