Parekh among Flames heading to world championships

Zayne Parekh is going to get some experience on the international stage.

The Calgary Flames star prospect is expected to play in some pre-tournament games at this summer’s men’s world championships in Sweden, Sportsnet’s Pat Steinberg confirmed Sunday.

The 19-year-old Parekh made his NHL debut on Thursday in the Flames’ regular-season finale against the Los Angeles Kings. He made quite the impression, as he scored the first goal of his career midway through the third period.

Parekh, from Nobleton, Ont., was a notable omission from the Canadian team that finished fifth at the 2024 world juniors.

The Flames drafted Parekh with their first-round selection at the 2024 NHL Draft. He made OHL history this season, joining Bobby Orr as one of the only defencemen to record multiple 30-goal seasons.

Calgary will be well represented at the world championships, as MacKenzie Weegar (Canada), Rasmus Andersson (Sweden), Matt Coronato (U.S.) and Dan Vladar (Czechia) have all confirmed they will also be heading to Sweden.