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Flames top prospect Zayne Parekh issues an apology to the organization after polarizing comments


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Jack Sutherland
January 5, 2026  (11:08 PM)
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Flames' Zayne Parekh
Photo credit: The Calgary Herald

Top Calgary Flames prospect Zayne Parekh found himself at the center of controversy after his recent comments, and he's since issued an apology to the organization.

Calgary Flames prospect Zayne Parekh found himself at the center of controversy after he seemed to imply that he and other players were being coached to give basic answers, and now he's apologizing.
Some things got spun out of proportion and probably worded things wrongly ... I sincerely apologize to the Flames organization and my teammates. At the end of the day, that's not acceptable and that can't happen. -Zayne Parekh
This is what Parekh had to say that started the controversy:
It's more [from] watching NHL guys be robots and not having any personality. I think you need some personality. It's kind of the best way to grow the game. I don't want to come in here and be a robot. When I'm in Calgary, I definitely have a lot of guys that are telling me to give really simple answers, but here I can kind of do what I want. - Zayne Parekh

Per Sportsnet 960 analyst Pat Steinberg, Parekh's teammates "weren't thrilled" about his comments
From what I understand, no, his teammates weren't thrilled. I don't think they're offended or anything like that. I don't think they're going to shun him.

I think instead they're going to come back, give it to him a little bit and say, 'Hey, here's why you don't say that going forward, but you're still our teammate and we still want to build you up.' - Pat Steinberg

The Flames Loaned Prospect Zayne Parekh To Team Canada

Parekh, who the Flames took with the ninth overall pick in the 2024 NHL Entry Draft, was loaned to Canada for the 2026 World Junior Championship.
He's already gotten one game of NHL experience with the Flames under his belt last year, and he scored his first NHL goal. He also played with the OHL's Saginaw Spirit last year and had 107 points (33G, 74A) in 61 games.
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Flames top prospect Zayne Parekh issues an apology to the organization after polarizing comments

Was Zayne Parekh out of line for his comments?

Yes, way out of line5436.5 %
No, he spoke the truth9463.5 %
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