‘Got to earn my spot’: Flames’ Zayne Parekh not taking opportunity for granted

CALGARY — Ask Zayne Parekh what a successful season looks like and there’s no mention of stats.

After posting numbers in junior the last two seasons only Bobby Orr could match, the Flames’ first-rounder admitted in a one-on-one chat Tuesday his focus is simple.

“Playing in the NHL the whole year, that’s the goal,” said the 19-year-old defenceman who will be a focal point when the Calgary Flames training camp opens Thursday.

“Obviously, I want to have as many points as I can and be the offensive player I can be, but that won’t determine a successful season.

“What’s important is I continue to develop and get better.”

As a Flame.

Too young to play in the AHL and too talented to return to his OHL team in Saginaw, the organization’s most promising prospect seems like a cinch to start and finish with the Flames this season.

Parekh insists he’s making no such assumption, which shows plenty of maturity from last season’s ninth pick overall, who left training camp “humbled” last fall.

“I’m not guaranteed a spot on the team, so my camp is going to determine whether I’m on the team or not,” said Parekh, forever wearing a grin.

“I’ve got to earn my spot. That means showing up early every day and doing the little things right. And when that day comes, if that day comes, I’ll be pretty happy. But I’m not there yet.”

In preparation for that day, Parekh added eight pounds of muscle over the summer, upping his six-foot frame to 188 pounds.

That should help in his own zone, where his play will be scrutinized by fans and coaches alike.

He’s also had plenty of time to regenerate, which has helped him through a recurring lower-body injury that kept him out of rookie camp last week.

One year ago, he arrived following a summer in which a Memorial Cup win, the draft, development camp and a Hlinka Gretzky Cup tourney made everything a blur. 

He kicked off the rookie tourney in Penticton by coughing up the overtime winner, wasn’t able to make his mark on the ice and was a mere bystander in main camp.

A sick, foreign feeling for a slick skating wizard with the puck.

Old news, as far as he’s concerned.

“I mean, everyone talks about last year, but it really doesn’t matter at this point,” shrugged the Nobleton, Ont. native who rebounded to have 33 goals and 107 points in 61 OHL games last year.

“I don’t know how that’s going to define the player I am today. So if guys want to use that, sure, but of course, I’ve got to have a good camp.”

With the added weight, wisdom and maturity, he’s more comfortable coming in this year.

A two-week stint with the Flames at the end of last season allowed him to forge relationships with his future teammates, acclimate to life in the NHL and see what it takes to make the next step.

A goal and a plus-three rating in his NHL debut capped off the season, giving him the type of renewed faith he needed.

“It’s not as scary going into it this year as it might have been last year,” admitted Parekh, the first defenceman since Orr to post back-to-back 30-goal seasons in the OHL.

“I got to make relationships with these guys and I kind of know what to expect, and what kind of pace I’ve got to be at to be at the NHL level.”

Yet, there are still nerves this week — something the rather chill youngster said his NHL debut was devoid of.

“I’m a little bit more nervous, which is weird, not normal for me, but it means a lot to me,” said Parekh, a right-shot defender.

“I know how important it is, but at the same time, I kind of reassured myself, ‘I played an NHL game before, I’ve been through that process.’ I practised with the NHL group for a while. So I probably shouldn’t be nervous, but at the same time, it makes sense.”

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There’s no doubt Parekh will get plenty of looks in the pre-season and is essentially a lock to start the season with the club.

His 20 minutes of ice in his late-season debut against L.A. gave him and management plenty of reasons to believe he’s capable of hanging with the big boys.

If not, he may require time in the press box. 

If that’s the case, one option the Flames have is loaning him to the world junior team at Christmas — an interesting possibility given the controversy surrounding him being a late addition to Team Canada’s training camp last winter before cutting him.

Would he go?

“I mean, yeah, I’d have to go — I can’t not go,” he smiled.

“If they send me there, I’ll be going. 

“Obviously I want to play here the whole year, but at the end of the day, even though I have a part in that decision, I think it’s up to them.”

If it came to that, the idea would be to bolster his development by boosting his confidence.

Being left off last year’s Canadian team, despite being the nation’s highest-scoring defenceman, gave him increased motivation to prove doubters wrong.

“It’s every kid’s dream to play on the national team, so when you kind of get cut from that and not really given a look, it’s never a good feeling,” he said.

“I guess I was just trying to prove it to myself towards the end of the year that I’m a good player.”

Now he has another chance to prove it to the Flames.

The odds are heavily in favour of him being able to do so.

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