After capturing a bronze medal for Team Canada at the World Juniors on Monday, Zayne Parekh was quick to offer up an apology to the Calgary Flames.

The apology had nothing to do with his or his team’s performance at the event. In fact, Parekh was nothing short of incredible, scoring six goals and 13 points in the tournament, both of which are the highest totals ever for a Canadian defenceman.

What Parekh’s apology stemmed from was some comments made last week regarding NHL players as a whole and the Flames organization.

“I think it’s more watching NHL guys be robots and not having any personality,” Parekh said. “I think you need some personality. It’s the best way to grow the game. I don’t want to come in here and be a robot.

“When I’m in Calgary, I definitely have a lot of guys that are telling me to give really simple answers, but here I can kind of do what I want.”

Whether right or wrong, Parekh’s comments raised some eyebrows to the point that the 2024 ninth-overall selection felt the need to apologize when speaking with reporters on Monday.

“I think some things got spun out of proportion. I probably worded things [wrong],” Parekh said. “Obviously it wasn’t my intent in the words I said. I sincerely apologize to the Flames organization and my teammates. At the end of the day, that’s not acceptable, and that can’t happen.”

Zayne Parekh responds to previous comments he made regarding bringing more personality to the game of hockey.#WorldJuniors

(h/t: @markhmasters) pic.twitter.com/fllxUykcoB

— TSN (@TSN_Sports) January 6, 2026

What’s important to remember in all of this is that Parekh is still very young. There wasn’t any ill intent made from these comments, and though the Flames organization would have preferred he didn’t make them, both sides should be able to move past this without any issue.

As for Parekh, he’s heading out east to join the Flames on their upcoming five-game road trip, which will begin on Wednesday in an outing versus the Montreal Canadiens.

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