That same swagger that helped him utterly dominate his competition in junior, to the tune of 240 career points, back-to-back 30-goal campaigns, and a Memorial Cup to boot.

Parekh’s transition from junior to the NHL this season has been somewhat rocky, as is typical with that sort of thing, especially for defenceman. He’s looked really good at times and overwhelmed at others.

The 50th instalment of the IIHF World Junior Championship, which will run from Dec. 26 to Jan. 5, presents a golden opportunity for the 19-year-old to regain the immense confidence that allows him to play his unique brand of hockey.

Parekh was left off of Team Canada’s roster in last year’s WJC despite being one of the top point-producing defenceman in the CHL, a highly scrutinized roster decision at the time. Now, in his final year of eligibility for the U-20 tournament, the Markham, Ontario native is considered a shoo-in to represent Team Canada.

The Flames decided to loan Parekh to Canada’s World Junior team following an inconsistent start to the year and an upper-body injury that has held him out since November 7. On Monday, Parekh was named to Canada’s preliminary roster along with fellow Flames’ prospect Cole Reschny.

As one of Canada’s premier teenage talents, the only thing that would keep Parekh from making the team would be his health, but after re-joining the Flames at practice last week, it seems inevitable that he’ll get his long-awaited crack at the World Juniors.

Prior to the Flames’ 7-4 victory over the Buffalo Sabres, Parekh was asked what participating in the WJC could do for him (via Flames TV):

“Probably jump-start my season. I mean, obviously hasn’t been the season I want. I think, production-wise, it hasn’t been there. So, I think it’ll be good to just go, you know, build some confidence, play my game, and just kind of have fun. I mean, I’m going to get a lot of leash there and, you know, be able to make plays and kind of do my thing. So, um, should be coming back with hopefully a lot of confidence.”

‘Having fun’ will certainly be key to Parekh returning to form. Though there will be plenty of pressure on Team Canada to claim gold, the spotlight on him won’t be shone nearly as brightly as it has throughout his limited NHL action.

As a teenager who hails from the OHL, Parekh’s ineligibility to play in the AHL has made this season a rather awkward development year. He’s too good for junior but not quite up to speed with NHL play. The World Juniors offers a perfect middle ground in level of competition for Parekh, as he’ll be playing against the best of the best in his age group.

More positive news for the former Saginaw Spirit standout is that he’s set to be reunited with his junior counterpart, Michael Misa, who was also named to Team Canada’s training camp roster:

“I know Misa’s going, so, um, should be nice to, you know, chop it up with him again because it’s been a little bit since I’ve seen him and, you know, there’s a lot of good players that are obviously going to be there and we should have a good chance for gold.”

Additionally, Parekh may suit up with a potential future NHL teammate in Cole Reschny, Calgary’s 18th overall selection in the 2025 NHL Draft, who was also included on Team Canada’s training camp list:

“Yeah, I heard a couple days ago (that Reschny was on the list). So, you know, obviously really exciting for him and he texted me last night and (I’m) looking forward to seeing him again.”

The opportunity to play alongside a much younger group of players will be a welcome change of pace for Parekh, especially with some familiar faces in the locker room.

Team Canada is coming off disappointing outcomes in the previous two World Junior Championships, in which they failed to medal in both, certainly uncharacteristic of a program that is never short on high-end talent.

Parekh hopes to help restore the Canadian team’s gold medal aspirations, and in the process, regain the form that’s made him Calgary’s most coveted prospect in a decade.

This article is presented by Bon Ton Meat Market

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