Parekh headed back to junior after ‘humbling’ training camp

Calgary Flames 2024 first-round pick Zayne Parekh couldn’t hide his disappointment on Friday afternoon after he was sent back to the Saginaw Spirit of the Ontario Hockey League.

The puck-moving blueliner was clearly unhappy with his first professional training camp, and didn’t mince words when critiquing his performance over the past two weeks.

Parekh used the word “humbling” multiple times after his exit meeting with the organization.

“It’s hard,” he said. “Very humbling…but it was good. I really enjoyed my time. I thought I got more comfortable as I went, and I thought I got better.”

Parekh played twice in the preseason, finishing with no points and a -1 rating. He said the toughest part of camp was how much more skilled and fit players are at the pro level. 

“It’s tough because you’re playing against such good players,” he said, adding that at times he felt starstruck playing alongside everyday NHLers.

“When you play against such high-calibre players and you practise with pros, you see their habits and things they do daily…you understand how good these players are and how far away you are.”

Despite Parekh’s self-critiques, head coach Ryan Huska is happy with his progression.

“I thought he did a good job of getting better every day,” he said. “It’s hard for a young guy coming in because they don’t know what to expect coming through it their first year…you could see the NHL skillset that he has. He moves the blueline really well and I’m really excited to see what can do over the course of a year and how he comes back looking to make our team next year.”

Parekh, 18, said that he feels better about his progression after a dinner he had Thursday night with Samuel Honzek. 

Honzek, the Flames’ 2023 first-round pick out of the Vancouver Giants of the WHL, leads the NHL in preseason points with six. Honzek had a disappointing training camp and season after he was drafted, but has since developed into a player who has a real chance at making his NHL debut this season. 

“We were talking about how much more comfortable he feels and how good he looked out there,” Parekh said. “[He’s] a player that has dealt with a lot over the last year-and-a-half, but he’s starting to prove a lot of people wrong. He just told me that your second time around [at training camp], you understand what you’re getting into. And I didn’t really understand what I was getting into, but that’s an okay thing. It’s a really good learning experience for me.”

Huska emphasized that Parekh has abilities that can’t be taught. He can move the puck, has elite offensive instincts, and can run a power play. Parekh said that, at the game’s highest level, he learned he can’t create those dynamic plays every time he’s on the ice.

He wants to focus on getting stronger and learning to use his body more on the defensive side of the puck this season in Saginaw.

“I think I have to be more physical down low, especially in the box-out area,” he said.

“In junior, I could dominate to a completely different extent to here…in junior in my third year, I’ll be able to take over shifts and help take our team over the top again. Two completely different things. I learned that I’ve got to keep myself honest up here in terms of gaps…you can’t cheat the game in the same way. You can take a couple strides off in junior. You can’t do that here.”

Parekh will join a Spirit squad that’s looking to defend its Memorial Cup title. Parekh, who was named the CHL’s defenceman of the year last season, will once again play a huge role on the team, and hopes that another year of development will lead to a longer training camp in Calgary next fall. 

“I don’t think I had the best camp, and I think I could have gave more,” he said. “But I thought it was all positive from [Flames management].

“They’re really happy with me and I’m pretty hard on myself.”