The Flames announced a pair of roster moves on Friday. Rookie defenseman Zayne Parekh was activated from injured reserve and subsequently loaned to Canada’s national junior team ahead of the 2026 World Junior Championship, which begins on Boxing Day in Minneapolis and St. Paul. They also added forward Dryden Hunt back to the active roster after reassigning him to the AHL’s Calgary Wranglers yesterday – something they’re eligible to do because he played for the minor-league club last night.
Parekh, 19, is still finding his way in his first professional season. It’s unclear whether he’ll be added back to Calgary’s roster after the tournament or if they’ll opt to have him finish the season with the OHL’s Saginaw Spirit. He’s ineligible for a full-time AHL assignment this season as a teenage player under the NHL-CHL transfer agreement.
His underwhelming first few games in the NHL don’t change his stature as the Flames’ top prospect, though. Selected ninth overall in the 2024 draft, Parekh led the OHL in points by a defenseman in back-to-back seasons before making Calgary’s roster out of camp this fall. Last year, he became just the 15th defender in OHL history to record a 100-point season and the first since Ryan Ellis hit 101 in 2010-11. But through 11 appearances in Calgary after scoring in his debut in Game 82 last season, he was limited to one assist and only averaged 14:46 of ice time per game.
Whatever momentum Parekh had ground to a halt on Nov. 7 against the Blackhawks when he sustained an upper-body injury. He hasn’t played since. Instead of an AHL conditioning stint or a direct reinstatement, he’ll get his feet wet again in Canada’s WJC training camp over the next couple of weeks after he was one of the most notable tournament snubs in recent memory last year.
As for Hunt, the 30-year-old is settling into a role as Calgary’s 13th forward with Samuel Honzek out for the season and Martin Pospisil still stuck on injured reserve. The journeyman has found some stability in the Flames organization, now in his third year there after he was initially acquired from the Maple Leafs in 2023. He’s got an 18-36–54 scoring line in 237 games for his NHL career, but has suited up just seven times for the Flames since the beginning of 2024-25.
Nonetheless, he remains a reliable, no-fuss press box option who lights up the minors when he’s there. He had a two-assist performance with the Wranglers last night against Coachella Valley to give him 18 points in 16 games on the year, looking to lock in his second straight season at or above a point per game. While more intriguing names long-term, like Matvei Gridin and Rory Kerins, are also lighting up the AHL circuit, Hunt’s development isn’t going to be interrupted by long spells in the press box if he’s not needed in the lineup.
Parekh’s injury looked like a shoulder separation. He’s going to need another 20-25 lbs. to be NHL strong, so loaning to the national team is a great move.