CALGARY — The last time Zayne Parekh was seen, his immediate plan was a trip to the mall to buy jeans.
After his Calgary Flames teammates, MacKenzie Weegar and Mikael Backlund, good-naturedly teased him for wearing joggers to a late-season team dinner, the first-round draft pick highlighted his impressive NHL debut by declaring his intention to purchase some denim.
This minor sartorial detail underscores the attention focused on the young defenceman since he was selected ninth overall last summer. A clothing update seemed fitting on Wednesday at WinSport, after the first day of the Flames’ development camp.
“I actually did go to the mall for some, but I didn’t end up buying anything, even though I was also planning on getting dress shoes,” Parekh chuckled, recalling how his confession about never owning jeans genuinely surprised his Flames colleagues.
“I need to get some. Eventually, I’m going to have to. It’s probably best to just get it done now.”
Putting his wardrobe matters aside, the more crucial question around Calgary is whether he will earn a spot on the Flames roster this coming autumn.
When asked if he felt more prepared to transition to the main team compared to his experience last year, the notably confident player from Saginaw smiled.
“I mean, if I didn’t feel ready, I wouldn’t really have faith in myself,” said Parekh. He described his initial training camp in Calgary as a “humbled” experience before he was sent back for another strong junior season.
“Last year, I didn’t have a lot of time to prepare for camp, and I felt completely out of my depth. When you`re feeling nervous and thinking things like, ‘hopefully I don’t mess up or make a mistake,’ you tend to attract those negative thoughts, and mistakes are likely to happen.”
“So, this time around, I feel much more confident. Getting that brief exposure at the end of the season gave me a real sense of what’s required to play in the NHL. That small taste should definitely be helpful.”
He did indeed get that taste, becoming the sixth-youngest defenceman in NHL history to score in his debut game. This moment capped a late-season call-up with the team, providing him with ten days of valuable big-league experience.
Tristan Blackwood