Flames’ Zayne Parekh Doing and Saying All the Right Things Heading Into the Season

If training camp is any indication, the 2026-27 season could be a breakout year of sorts for Calgary Flames defenceman Zayne Parekh. The 20-year-old remains one of the most exciting prospects in the organization after being drafted ninth overall in 2024, and Flames fans are hoping to see big strides out of him this coming season.

As we know, Parekh’s rookie season was one filled with plenty of lows, though not of his own fault. He struggled to get into the lineup after management opted not to send him back to the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) in 2025-26. He was also too young to spend the entire season with the Calgary Wranglers.

By the time Parekh’s rookie season had ended, he finished with just four goals and nine points in 37 games. He was also quite open about the fact that the game was going at a much quicker pace than he could have ever imagined, and made it a goal of his to get both quicker and stronger over the course of the offseason. So far, so good on that front.

Parekh Looking Like a Different Player on and Off the Ice

In what is now his third training camp with the Flames, Parekh no longer looks like the wide-eyed youngster he was the past two years. He’s much more comfortable now, partially due to the fact that he put on weight over the course of the offseason.

“It was good,” Parekh said of his offseason. “I think I’m like 191 lbs right now. I had a really good offseason, I worked out with Gary Roberts. It was a big adjustment this summer, a lot of stuff I wasn’t used to, but I think I had a really good summer.”

And while he appears more confident both on the ice and during media availabilities, he even admitted himself that he’s feeling a lot more comfortable around the group this year. That’s an extremely positive sign for both the organization and fan base.

“I haven’t felt like this the previous two years, I just feel comfortable and confident,” Parekh explained. “It doesn’t really feel like there’s any pressure on me or any expectation, I just feel normal again. It’s a nice feeling to get back to.”

It isn’t just all talk from the offensively gifted blueliner, either. He’s impressed throughout training camp, and was named the first star of Tuesday night’s exhibition game against the Vancouver Canucks, an outing in which he had two assists in 19 minutes of ice time. Asked postgame if he felt as comfortable as it appeared, he simply responded, “Ya, it felt the way it looked.”

Granted, the Canucks dressed nowhere close to an NHL lineup on Tuesday, but it was still both very impressive and important to see Parekh perform the way he did. It’s exactly what the organization was hoping to see given that there’s a strong chance he plays top-four minutes this coming season.

Of course, that doesn’t mean that this will be a Norris Trophy-type season for Parekh. He’s still very young and raw and is nowhere close to reaching his full potential. That said, his struggles in 2025-26 seem to have really motivated him and brought the best out of him when it came to preparation in the summer. There will still be some bumps in the road, but it’s appearing as though the 2026-27 campaign could see a ton of improvement in his game.

Parekh Ready to Take Another Step

For the Flames, the hope is that Parekh can carry the confidence he’s shown at training camp into the regular season. He’ll likely be given more responsibility than he saw as a rookie, and with that will come plenty of opportunities to learn from his mistakes. If his offseason improvements and early camp performances are any indication, Parekh appears ready to embrace that challenge and take a significant step forward in his development.