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Zayne Parekh Powers Canada Into World Juniors Knockout as MVP Case Builds

He led all defencemen in group-stage scoring heading into a quarterfinal versus Slovakia.

Overview

  • Canada beat Finland 7-4 on New Year’s Eve to clinch first place in Group B and draw Slovakia in the quarterfinals.
  • Parekh has eight points in four games, tied for the tournament lead and the most by a Canadian blueliner in the preliminary round since Ryan Ellis in 2011.
  • Against Finland, he scored 1:13 into the game and added two assists, including a 100-foot stretch pass to set up Tij Iginla for the go-ahead goal.
  • FlamesNation labels him the tournament MVP frontrunner, noting the case depends on knockout-round performances and that defencemen rarely win the award.
  • The 19-year-old Calgary Flames prospect scored in his NHL debut last April, played 11 NHL games this season, missed time with a November upper-body injury, and has used the world juniors to regain form.