Flames’ Zayne Parekh pumped for world juniors: ‘It will put some belief back in me’

As a smile stretches across his face, you can tell that Zayne Parekh appreciates the irony of what he’s about to say. It might not be the answer that you’re expecting.

The Calgary Flames’ rookie defenceman has, after all, missed a full month due to injury. It’s easy to assume that the layoff has felt like another major bump in the road for a guy who couldn’t have been anticipating this many potholes in his first season in the NHL.

“It’s been great, honestly,” Parekh told Postmedia. “Injuries suck, but we have a great team here and they keep it light every day, keep it positive, and I think it’s been a good breather for me. I think I just needed to take a step back and relax a little bit.”

And now comes the step forward.

The 19-year-old Parekh, feeling “pretty much back to normal” after four-plus weeks of rehab on his upper-body injury, departs later this week for Hockey Canada’s world-junior training camp. He will be one of the highlighted names when the roster is revealed on Monday morning.

It’s big news for Team Canada, of course, whenever an NHLer is loaned for the annual holiday tournament. Parekh, a controversial cut a year ago, should feature on the first pairing and seems like a natural fit to quarterback the top power-play unit.

But the feeling around the Saddledome is this can also be a turning point for one of the Flames’ key franchise building blocks.

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They expect Parekh to return from the world juniors with the sort of confidence that seemed to be seeping away as he struggled through October and early November, unable to make the immediate offensive impact that everybody was counting on.

Before he was hurt on a heavy hit from Chicago’s Nick Foligno, he had registered only one point — an assist on the man-advantage — in 11 games. He’d also been scratched five times.

“I’m just really excited,” Parekh said of his upcoming world-junior junket. “I think this is going to be a good opportunity for me, help me build some confidence back and find my groove again.

“It’s just getting back to what I know I can do and what type of player I am. It will put some belief back in me, for sure.”

What’s encouraging, if you’re rooting for Canada to end an only-two-years-but-still-too-long medal drought or if you have a No. 19 Flames jersey on your Christmas wishlist, is there are signs that Parekh’s confidence is already returning.

While his Nov. 7 injury must have initially felt like a swerve for the worse, it has undoubtedly alleviated the pressure a little, both the kind that he heaps on himself and that he must feel from a fanbase that has been in an uproar any time this talented teen has come out of the lineup as a healthy scratch.

A few days ago, in a one-on-one interview with Postmedia, Parekh seemed as relaxed as he has at any point this fall.

They were apparently commenting on the same in the coaches’ offices after he was green-lighted to participate in Friday’s practice in a yellow no-contact jersey, another important step in his recovery.

“We talked about him this morning, watching him around the room … ” Flames bench boss Ryan Huska said. “His swagger is back with the smile on his face.”

The key now is for Parehk, the ninth-overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft, to pack that swagger for world-junior training camp in Niagara Falls, Ont.

And then to have plenty bottled up for Boxing Day and beyond. Canada faces Czechia in its opener at 3M Arena in Minneapolis.

“It should be a confidence-builder for him,” said Huska, who was twice on Team Canada’s world-junior staff as an assistant coach. “Now you’re going into a pressure-packed tournament where the games are unreal. The intensity that these games get played at, the crowds that are involved, there’s a lot of pressure.

“It’s very similar to what a young player faces at the NHL level. The difference being, you’re playing against peers that are your age, so you’re physically able to handle the guys that you’re going to be playing against. So I think it gives him an opportunity to go and be the best version of himself, to help the team win a gold medal. And I think when he does that, I think it gives him the opportunity to come back feeling really good about where his game is at.”

Parekh doesn’t have to look too far back for a reminder of what he’s capable of when his confidence is soaring.

This rising-star righty put up eye-popping stats last season with the OHL’s Saginaw Spirit, averaging 1.75 points per game and even matching a record that was set in the 1960s by the legendary Bobby Orr.

When the Spirit were bounced from the playoffs in early April, Parekh was called up by the Flames. He didn’t look the least bit surprised after scoring a goal in his NHL debut.

“Just making plays and playing my game … You know, I haven’t really been able to do that (this season),” Parekh said, adamant that nobody else is to blame for his frustrating fall. “And it’s not really a coaching thing. It’s on me and just trying to not make mistakes. I think that’s been the biggest issue.

“I think it will be good to slow the game down a bit and find my game. I remember last year, coming in at the end of my year in junior, and I really felt untouchable. When I came up, I still felt great and the confidence was at an all-time high. I know if I get back to that, I’ll be fine.”

wgilbertson@postmedia.com