Flames prospect Parekh scores late invite to Canada's world junior ...

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Calgary Flames defence prospect Zayne Parekh is headed to Canada’s world junior selection camp after all.

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Snubbed from the initial list of invitees, which was released earlier this week, the Saginaw Spirit standout is back in the mix due to an injury to Calgary-raised Harrison Brunicke. 

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Team Canada’s hopefuls will gather Tuesday in Ottawa for final auditions and tournament prep. Since the brass didn’t have his name on the original list of 10 blue-line candidates, Parekh knows he will need to turn heads at camp. If he does make the cut, the 18-year-old from Nobleton, Ont., would be the frontrunner to quarterback the top power-play unit. 

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“For him to have a chance to be there, No. 1, I think it’s an honour to be able to represent your country, even if it just for the camp to start with,” said Flames bench boss Ryan Huska, who was twice part of Canada’s world-junior coaching staff during his days as a WHL skipper. “And No. 2, I would like to see him go there on a mission. Like, initially you weren’t there, so you can prove some people wrong and I would like to see him do that.

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“The one thing in those short-term events that you always look for is someone that you know that is on the ice that is going to be a difference-maker for you, both ways. So it’s a real good challenge for him to show them that he can play both sides of the puck.”

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The ninth-overall selection in the 2024 NHL Draft and the reigning winner of the CHL’s Defenceman of the Year Award, Parekh has notched eight goals and 30 points in 23 outings this fall with the OHL’s Spirit.

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His defensive-zone work has been the focal point in his check-ins with the Flames’ development staff and will also be key to his chances of representing Canada at the world juniors.

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It’s a tough break for Brunicke, who was born in South Africa, moved to Calgary at age two and now skates for the WHL’s Kamloops Blazers. TSN’s Bob McKenzie reported that the Pittsburgh Penguins pick would not be medically cleared to participate in selection camp. 

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Another of the Flames’ blossoming blue-liners, Axel Hurtig, has been tabbed to represent Sweden at the annual holiday tournament. The 19-year-old Hurtig was a seventh-rounder in 2023 and is a stay-at-home sort for the WHL’s Calgary Hitmen.

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