Canada coach Dale Hunter said he and his staff have been able to remind Parekh of how good he could be as well, including by playing him a game-high 22:27 against Czechia. He played a game-high 23:11 in a 2-1 overtime win against Latvia on Saturday.
“It’s tough in the National Hockey League for young kids to go up and play, and you’re in and out of the lineup,” Hunter said. “It’s tough. You’re not used to it either, because when you play junior or college, you’re in every day and you’re playing 30 minutes a night. So, it’s a big change when you drop your minutes down. So here, we’re relying on him. He knows it, and he’s been a big part of it from the get-go here, and he just proved it [against Czechia].”
Parekh also has gotten support from his Flames teammates, several of whom reached out Friday.
“Johnny (Huberdeau) just texted me,” Parekh said. “And then ‘Frosty’ (Morgan Frost), ‘Beezer’ (Joel Farabee) and (Matt) Coronato all have a group chat together, and they just texted me. … Johnny sent me a good text. So, it’s nice that I know they’re watching and their support means the world to me.”
The goal for Parekh is a deep run with Canada, and the kind of play that gives him some confidence to work his way into a larger role with the Flames moving forward.
“Even NHL hockey players that have been around there for 10 years, they lose their confidence,” Hunter said. “So by doing this, getting [to feel] good about yourself, doing the plays that you used to do, hopefully you can continue it with Calgary.”