Jonathan Huberdeau wasn’t required for a media scrum. Neither was Mikael Backlund nor Dustin Wolf.
The most requested player on the first day of Calgary Flames training camp was, instead, Zayne Parekh, a guy with all of 20 minutes of ice time on his NHL resume.
He’s the talk of the town. The guy with the brightest spotlight. The player who Flames fans are pinning their hopes on.
That’s a lot of pressure to put on the shoulders of a 19-year-old at his second NHL training camp.
His head coach, though, has a simple message for the young blueliner.
“Just focus solely on making the team, that’s it,” said Flames head coach Ryan Huska. “I’ve mentioned before that I don’t think Zayne should feel any undue pressure about being the saviour coming in and all of a sudden changing our team. That’s not it at all for Zayne.
“Zayne is a really good hockey player and we’re so excited about this guy’s future. It’s our job as a coaching staff to help him along the way. If a young man thinks he has to satisfy this, this or this, no, he doesn’t … He’s a good young guy and I don’t want him to think he has to do something crazy every time he steps on the ice to make our team or contribute that way. That’s not the case. Just focus on making the team.”
Calgary Flames head coach Ryan Huska goes over drills with players during the first day of the team’s training camp at the Scotiabank Saddledome on Thursday, Sept. 18, 2025.
Externally, Parekh is being treated as a lock to be with the Flames this season.
Their first round pick, ninth overall, in the 2024 NHL Draft was dominant last season in the OHL with the Saginaw Spirit. There’s no logical reason why he would be sent back down for another year of junior. He’s also too young to play in the AHL with the Calgary Wranglers, so it sort of feels as if he’ll be with the Flames by default.
There was hype and excitement surrounding Parekh a year ago when he showed up for training camp. It’s different this year, though.
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“This time around, I’m putting myself outside of my comfort zone,” Parekh explained. “There’s a lot of pressure on me, so maybe I was more comfortable last year because the expectation was to probably end up going back to junior and I kind of knew that and was just trying to soak it all in.
“I really don’t want to go back to junior this year. There’s a bit of a comfort level (being around the NHL team), for sure, but it goes without saying there’s pressure, too.”
Pressure doesn’t necessarily have to be a bad thing and Parekh does seem like the type of player who can handle the spotlight.
It was bright in April when he made his NHL debut in the final game of the regular season for the Flames. It didn’t faze him. Parekh wound up scoring his first professional goal and looked like he belonged throughout his 20:31 of ice time.
Calgary Flames goaltender Dustin Wolf and players Sam Morton and Zayne Parekh take part in the first day of training camp at the Scotiabank Saddledome on Thursday, Sept. 18, 2025.
It’s been a long time since a teenager was the focus of this much attention at the Saddledome, but both the Flames coaches and veterans seem intent on helping him navigate the challenges that come with being a high-profile young hockey player in a rabid Canadian market.
“For Zayne, I think he loves it,” said Flames blueliner MacKenzie Weegar. “I think he loves the eyes on him and has that swag to him. That pressure on him, I think he wants that. He’s a top prospect for a reason. If I can make him feel more comfortable, I’ll help him with whatever he needs and help him on the ice or off the ice to make him feel great when he plays a game for our team.
“With Zayne, he’s got that swag and he loves eyes on him and you can kind of tell out there that he wants to be in the spotlight.”
So far, there’s no indication that any of this is going to Parekh’s head. A lower-body injury kept him out of prospects camp — he says he’s 90 per cent healthy right now — but he still showed up to support his young teammates during their practices and games.
Parekh didn’t want them thinking he was “favoured in any way” or for anyone to think he saw his place on the Flames roster this season as a sure thing.
He skated with Jake Bean at Thursday morning’s practice, suggesting he’ll be more in contention for a third-pairing spot than slotted in to play with the likes of Weegar or Rasmus Andersson.
Even then, he’ll have to earn the playing time. He knows it.
There’s pressure to perform. Pressure to make the team. Pressure to make an impact.
But Parekh’s not running from that pressure. If anything, he’s embracing it.
“You’ve got to put pressure on yourself. If you don’t, there’s nothing keeping you on your toes and keeping you ready,” Parekh said. “Obviously, I feel a little bit of pressure but I want this, I asked for this and this is why I do it.”