MINNEAPOLIS — Zayne Parekh started off by calling his shot.
The slick defenceman told friend and teammate Michael Hage he was going to score low to the blocker side early in Canada’s game against Finland on New Year’s Eve at the world junior hockey championship.
Parekh did exactly that moments later before showing off his passing ability with a tape-to-tape breakaway feed to Tij Iginla for the go-ahead goal in a 7-4 victory that secured top spot in Group B and a quarterfinal date with Slovakia.
The 19-year-old from Nobleton, Ont., who played 11 games with the Calgary Flames this season, is a special talent. He might be even more unique off the ice, especially playing a sport with buttoned-down traditions, for being unapologetically himself in all situations.
“I think it’s more watching NHL guys be robots and not having any personality,” Parekh said Thursday when asked why he’s comfortable baring his soul to the media in both good times and bad. “I think you need some personality, and 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 could kind of do what I want.”
Parekh has probably had a similar feeling — doing what he wants — when the puck drops at the world juniors. His eight points are tied for the tournament lead, top all defencemen and are the most by a Canadian blueliner in the preliminary round since Ryan Ellis in 2011.
Hage, who grew up alongside Parekh at rinks in and around Toronto, said the No. 9 overall selection at the 2024 draft always had his own style.
“A pretty laid-back guy, even in games,” said Hage, a first-round pick of the Montreal Canadiens. “You’ll miss big chances and he’ll come over and laugh at you. He keeps everything pretty light, and it honestly helps you not get too down on yourself.”
“Very loose,” Canadian captain Porter Martone added. “He’s never getting too anxious or wound up.”
Assistant coach Brad Lauer said Parekh’s approach shouldn’t be mistaken for laziness or a lack of ambition as Canada looks to make the semifinals for the first time since 2023, following consecutive fifth-place finishes, with a victory over the Slovaks on Friday.
“A pretty driven kid,” Lauer said. “Sometimes he might be taken the wrong way. But, for me, just let him express himself, let him be him, and understand how the team game is and how we want to play. He understands that.
“That’s the biggest thing.”
Head coach Dale Hunter added the six-foot, 187-pound defender has freedom within the system to buzz around the ice when appropriate.
“We’ve got some rules,” said the veteran bench boss. “He’s got to see the opening when it’s there. And when it’s not there, don’t do it. It’s up to him.”
Parekh, who had a pair of 30-goal seasons and put up 107 points with the Ontario Hockey League’s Saginaw Spirit in 2024-25, scored in his NHL debut in April.
But he picked up just a solitary assist in those 11 games this season while averaging less than 15 minutes of ice time before suffering an upper-body injury in November that sidelined him until the world juniors.
Parekh, who said he’s getting lots of support from Calgary teammates, is banking on the annual men’s under-20 tournament helping him get his mojo back at the professional level.
“I’m showing what I’m capable of,” he said. “I had a tough couple months … hopefully it sparks my game.”
Cut from last year’s Canadian roster, Parekh is soaking up a ride that has put a wide smile back on his face as he dreams of gold.
“It’s been so much fun,” he said. “It’s coming to end, but it’s just been great for me. It’s just a refresher. I really needed this.
“I’m loving every second.”
QUARTERFINAL SHOWDOWN
Slovakia, which suffered one-goal losses to Sweden, the United States and Switzerland in round-robin play, finished fourth in Group A to set up the date with Canada.
“We’re facing a great team with huge talent,” said head coach Peter Fruhauf. “It’s going to be hard, but on the way here, we became family. The boys would die for each other.”
“It’s going to take 100 per cent and more,” he added. “We have to go way out of the comfort zone. In that position, nothing is impossible … you never know.”
CELEBRATING MAC
Canadian forward Michael Misa was excited to learn San Jose Sharks teammate Macklin Celebrini, who remains eligible for these world juniors at age 19, made the country’s Olympic roster.
“Everyone sees it now what he did in his first year in the league and the jump he took this year,” Misa said. “It’s pretty incredible — really happy for him.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 1, 2026.
Joshua Clipperton, The Canadian Press
