Flames’ Parekh ‘confident’ off-season work will set up success

CALGARY – Zayne Parekh’s summer assignment was simple.

So, the 20-year-old defenceman turned to former Flame Gary Roberts to push the issue.

“I think I'm like close to 191 pounds right now, so I had a really good off-season,” said the six-foot defenceman, who is listed at 179 pounds in the NHL’s official bio.

“Working out with Gary Roberts was a big adjustment this summer. A lot of stuff I wasn't used to, but I think I had a really good summer.”

With every big hit Parekh took last season while trying to make plays, management grew increasingly concerned for his safety as an undersized rookie.

He eventually suffered an upper body injury after a clean hit by Nick Foligno, which sidelined him for a month as part of a season he’d, quite frankly, like to forget.

“I don't really care too much about that anymore,” said the talented first rounder when asked how he’d sum up last year.

“I think I feel really confident and really good about my game right now, and feel really good about how my body feels and how I feel on the ice. I think that's all that matters.”

Indeed, for a youngster who had confidence issues he’d previously never experienced, moving forward is the healthiest approach — a tack made easier by the fact that he finished the final month of the season playing with the type of swagger he seemed to regain at the World Juniors.

“I think me and Griddy (Matvei Gridin) took big steps after the trade deadline,” said Parekh, who had four goals and three assists in his last 14 games.

“If you look at our last 10 games or that stretch of hockey, we played some really good hockey, and we were winning games.”

Parekh certainly has the potential to be the most exciting of all the young prospects in the organization.

The key is to simply get out there and play — stop worrying about the outside noise and expectations.

“I haven't felt like this in the previous two years — I just feel comfortable and confident,” said Parekh.

“It doesn't really feel like there's any pressure on me, or any expectation. I just feel normal again, and it's a nice feeling to get back to.”

For a young man with a brilliant smile and personality he will eventually put on display more regularly on and off the ice, it was obvious last year was not fun in any way.

The injury, the uncertainty, the healthy scratches, the loan to Team Canada and his comments from the World Juniors about NHLer’s being robots that rankled some teammates… are all things he likely learned from.

“The experience that he went through last year, for a young guy to get all that - he pretty much handled anything and everything that came out, and he had a lot of things that he had to handle,” said coach Ryan Huska, who started camp Thursday with Parekh paired up with Jake Middleton.

“So, by being around last year and having success at the end of the year, like he did, he left here feeling really good about himself. He had a better understanding of what he had to do physically and mentally to be a successful NHL player, and he put the work in this summer.

And now he's come back feeling much more comfortable. I think he feels like he has a better handle on what's expected out of him.”

Parekh’s goals, and those of the organization, are aligned:

“I want to be an elite power play one guy on this team,” said Parekh, a two-time 30-goal scorer in the OHL who had four goals and nine assists in 37 outings last year.

“I want the power play to click and I want to be the guy that's driving that, and I think it's a good challenge for me. Obviously me and (Simon) Nemec are going to compete there, and it's going to be good for both of us.

I don't think there's a point total I want to (project). I just want to continue to establish myself as a good NHL player.”

Honzek/Harrington-Backlund-Farabee

Tsyplakov/Nylander-Pospisil-Klapka

Flames' second-round pick Chase Harrington was a surprise addition to the main group to open camp, splitting time on line rushes alongside Mikael Backlund. Excitement surrounding the 18-year-old throwback winger is high, but his extended stay is simply an exercise in development.

“Zero expectations on him,” said Huska, hinting the plan is still to dispatch the B.C. native to Spokane soon.

“I will say that we want to see him come here and learn how some of our older guys handle themselves on a daily basis. If he keeps getting better and better while he's on the ice, that's great for us.

But we just want him to see what a lot of these NHL players are like and how they handle themselves both on and off the ice.”

Alex Nylander, 28, is the lone player on a professional tryout, brought in with the outside shot he can help the team score goals.

“He's an offensive player, and he's helped teams win in the past, like last year,” said Huska of the Calder Cup winner, who had 23-plus goals each of the last two seasons with the Marlies.

“He's a very good power play player. So I think when he plays his couple games that he's allowed to play, those are things that we'll look for.”

Nylander was born in Calgary while his father, Michael, played for the Flames.

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