2026 Calgary Flames Prospect Rankings: #1 Zayne Parekh

Position	Age	Year Drafted	Round Drafted	2026 Ranking	2025 Ranking
Defence	20	2024	1	1	1

The most hyped up and anticipated prospect the Flames have had since the days of Matthew Tkachuk. Parekh has the tools and the makings of a player who can anchor a blue line for a decade, and he has the potential to be one of the league’s best offensive rear guards. After spending three years with the Saginaw Spirit in the OHL, Parekh played this season at the pro level between the NHL and AHL. While it was a rocky start, he ended the season on a very high note.

Parekh’s development so far

Season	Team	League	GP	G	A	PTS
2023-24	Saginaw Spirit	OHL	66	33	63	96
2024-25	Saginaw Spirit	OHL	61	33	74	107
2025-26	Calgary Flames	NHL	37	4	5	9
	Calgary Wranglers	AHL	4	2	3	5

Parekh was the Flames’ first pick when the rebuild truly began in 2024. The team needed a defenceman who could be a game-changer on the backend, and I think they found him. Parekh dominated at the junior level, putting up historic numbers for a blue liner; his elite offensive tools shined through as someone who could break a game wide open in the matter of a shift.

Parekh was the go-to guy on the backend in Saginaw’s road to a Memorial Cup championship in 2024, and Parekh was the leader of Team Canada’s blue line at this year’s World Junior Hockey Championship, where he set a Canadian record for most points by a defenceman in the tournament. He played out the remainder of the year following the World Juniors in Calgary, first with the Wranglers on a conditioning stint, and then he rejoined the Flames for the back half of the season. It was a bit of a rocky road, but he handled himself very well after MacKenzie Weegar and Rasmus Andersson were both dealt, and he looked like a rock-solid NHL player by the time the year came to a close.

Parekh’s strengths

Elite offensive tools

Parekh’s upside will come through the tools in his skill level and creativity with the puck. Throughout his career, he has been able to make something out of nothing simply because he is always one of the most skilled players on the ice and can find his way out of problems with a slick move or manoeuvre. His brain is always reading the play at a rapid pace, and he is able to shift his way out of dangerous situations to either set up a teammate for a scoring chance or to create one for himself.

His hands aren’t his only elite tool; Parekh has a knack for finding the back of the net, even as a blue liner. In junior, he was scoring over 30-goals a year by either getting the puck through traffic or simply beating a goalie one-on-one. His shot isn’t the hardest, but it is deadly accurate, and he gets the puck off his stick quickly. Guys who have a great shot know how to make the most of their opportunities, and while it hasn’t come through at the pro level just yet, with more reps and opportunities, I’m sure Parekh will score quite a few goals over his career.

Skating ability

Parekh’s skating ability is one of the main drivers of what makes him so dangerous. While he isn’t the fastest player in the world, his elusiveness and quick feet give him the ability to escape danger with or without the puck in any situation. His edges are elite; he can turn on a dime to make a play or create a chance for himself. We saw it a ton last season when he got more confident in his game.

He can walk the blue line with ease, and that ability will make him a threat on the power play for years to come. He understands how to get out of tricky situations by using his feet to get to certain places on the ice. With the way he can move in transition and in the offensive zone, he will be a major cog on the Flames for many years to come.

Parekh’s weaknesses

Defensive zone play

Parekh has always been known to be more of an offensive driver as opposed to a defensive one. He was exposed at times last season for the way he defends. He was sometimes a step too late to recognize a developing play, or he just didn’t read a play correctly, which would end up with a dangerous chance against.

Parekh will sometimes think too much about the play offensively, where he then sacrifices plays defensively. In the best league in the world, where more often than not the opposition will make you pay, those lapses just cannot happen. There will be lots of growing pains when it comes to Parekh and his play in his own end. Luckily, everything that he needs to learn can be taught; what he already has in his bag when it comes to his skill and creativity often cannot.

Strength and durability

In his first real test in the NHL last season, Parekh got thrown around quite a few times. Multiple times, especially early in the season, he got flattened with huge hits from his opponent. He was seen going down the tunnel many times after getting laid out, and in November of last year, Parekh was injured off a hit, and he missed quite a bit of time because of it.

Over time, he will get stronger. I’m sure that it was a big focus for him to gain more muscle, strength and weight this offseason to avoid this issue next season. The stronger and more durable he becomes, the better it will be for him. It will not only help him stay on the ice, but it will make him better in every area of the game. Only time will tell if that is the case.

Next steps

The next steps for Parekh are very clear: become an everyday NHL player and become a major contributor for the Flames. Given how weak the Flames’ backend is heading into this season, Parekh will have every chance to become their top guy. He is going to get plenty of minutes and plenty of chances to prove he is the player we all believe he can be. This will be his first major test in a Calgary Flames uniform.

NHL projection

Parekh, even after a tough first year at the pro level, still has top-pairing, high-scoring potential when it is all said and done. With the group the Flames are building on the backend, Parekh should be the offensive catalyst moving forward, and he will be the go-to guy in that group to spark a game or get them back into one. The sky is the limit for Parekh.

See the other articles on the list of prospect rankings for 2026:

• #2: Carson Carels
• #3: Cole Reschny
• #4: Matvei Gridin
• #5: Cullen Potter
• #6: Hunter Brzustewicz
• #7: Ethan Wyttenbach
• #8: Jack Hextall
• #9: Samuel Honzek
• #10: Tobias Trejbal
• #11: Andrew Basha
• #12: Aydar Suniev
• #13: Henry Mews
• #14: Theo Stockselius 
• #15: Mace’o Phillips 
• Honourable Mentions