CALGARY – The highlight on Zayne Parekh is shiny, and at instances it is going to be unfair.
Each play he makes is lauded, each miss is blown up.
The roller-coaster began within the first interval of Sunday’s pre-season opener on the Saddledome, the place a collective gasp could possibly be heard following a tantalizing o-zone move, adopted on the identical shift by some groans as he was stripped on the blue line for an important likelihood the opposite method.
Such is life for the 19-year-old wunderkind, whose depth, skating, decision-making and effectiveness will likely be analyzed nightly.
And it’s simply the pre-season.
Promising to attempt avoiding social media as a lot as doable via the method, the Flames defenceman will pay attention intently to those that matter most for dissection of his each outing.
So far as self-assessment goes, he’s not more likely to be one to sugarcoat issues.
“First sport, so possibly slightly bit higher than I anticipated,” stated Parekh when requested after Sunday’s 3-0 pre-season loss to the Oilers to evaluate his night time.
“Some good, some unhealthy – possibly slightly extra unhealthy than good, so simply have to scrub that up.”
In nearly 20 minutes of ice time alongside Jake Bean, Parekh noticed time operating the second power-play unit, did slightly penalty killing, fired two photographs on web, rang one off the publish and drew a hooking penalty on Ike Howard.
He was lively, and he was noticeable, taking possibilities offensively you’d count on from a defenceman coming off again to again 30-goal seasons within the OHL.
His teammates needed to get him the puck, they usually knew the gifted playmaker was able to getting it again to them at any time limit.
Make no mistake, he’s going to be a deal with to observe.
“I believed he had most likely probably the most bounce of our youthful guys,” stated coach Ryan Huska.
“Within the offensive zone, he moved round. Early on he made just a few good passes. We didn’t capitalize on our alternatives with the fellows he was organising. I believed he did some good issues.”
When informed Parekh was considerably vital of his sport, the coach appeared a bit shocked.
“I believe possibly it’s a man that’s not used to being in entrance of the media slightly bit too, most likely. He’s studying quite a lot of various things as he goes.”
And he’s doing it with an infectious grin on his face, regardless of the strain he admits he’s feeling as somebody broadly anticipated to make the group in just a few weeks.
Following a second-period icing name in his personal zone, he was seen laughing out loud with Howard as they skated again up ice for the faceoff.
“Oh, I simply informed him his penalty wasn’t a hook,” chuckled the happy-go-lucky blue-liner.
“It was a smooth name.”
The coaches and administration have executed their finest to alleviate strain on Parekh, advising him to easily play his sport.
That sport entails taking the kind of possibilities he might get away with in junior, not right here.
He is aware of that. He’ll study.
There’s little doubt that along with his palms, silky stride and hockey IQ, he’s going to reside as much as the hype that comes with being the ninth decide total in 2024.
As everyone seems to be conscious, it can simply take time.
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“I’m going to make errors, they know that,” stated Parekh, whose disappointing coaching camp a 12 months earlier is a reminiscence overshadowed by the boldness he constructed along with his stellar NHL debut final spring.
‘They only need me to really feel comfy and assured on the market.
“I’ll must study via this course of. I attempt not to have a look at social media anymore as a result of everybody’s gonna scrutinize all the pieces.
“The final week has been a troublesome one mentally, simply because I have a tendency to start out the 12 months sluggish. However after tonight I really feel slightly extra assured about myself.”
Just a few extra takeaways from a night of split-squad motion that noticed the Flames’ poor outing in Calgary tempered by a 3-2 extra time win in Edmonton:
Spherical one of many Flames’ backup goalie battle went to Ivan Prosvetov in Edmonton, the place he made 28 saves to backstop the lesser of the 2 Calgary lineups within the win.
Devin Cooley’s pre-season debut didn’t go almost as nicely, as he let a routine shot squeeze via him lower than three minutes in.
After making greater than 20 straight saves, he was victimized halfway via the third when Matvei Gridin threw a blind backhand via the center of his personal zone that gave Connor Clattenburg on a regular basis on the planet to step in and beat Cooley clear.
“The objective I actually didn’t like was the second as a result of I didn’t play in my system,” stated Cooley, who was an all-star with the AHL Wranglers final 12 months.
“I attempted to do a silly windmill and look good in entrance of the group and he completely burned me. I believed technically I used to be actually sound, actually managed, and the one time I attempted to be an athlete I simply bought burned.”
He completed with 26 saves.
In the meantime, in Edmonton…
Morgan Frost was the hero three hours north when his second objective of the sport got here a minute into extra time. What ought to give followers much more hope in regards to the mid-season acquisition that introduced Frost right here from Philadelphia is the very fact his linemate, Joel Farabee, additionally scored.
