The Flames have signed three young players to entry-level contracts.
Zayne Parekh, Matvei Gridin, and Étienne Morin are the new additions. Parekh, picked ninth overall in 2024, has the best shot at making the team this October. He’s a right-shot defenseman with an incredible offensive game. Last season for Saginaw Spirit in the OHL, he scored 33 goals and had 63 assists, totaling 96 points in just 66 games.
Parekh was expected to be picked earlier in the draft. Elite Prospects ranked him fifth while TSN’s Bob McKenzie had him at eighth. If he makes it to the NHL team out of camp, it might be on a nine-game trial to avoid burning his first year of contract. Another year with Saginaw could help him improve his two-way game .
Fans might think these signings show the Flames are serious about building for the future.
Gridin also signed his contract but won’t go to Michigan as planned. Instead, he’ll play junior hockey and likely join Rimouski Océanic before training camp starts. He was ranked lower by many scouts but showed great promise last season with Muskegon Lumberjacks, scoring 38 goals and getting 83 points in 60 games.
Morin’s Future Plans:
Morin is a left-shot defenseman who went 48th overall in the 2023 draft. He’s known for being physically involved on both ends of the ice but had a bit of a down year recently. Last season with Moncton Wildcats, he got 12 goals and 37 assists but had a -9 rating over 58 games. The previous year was better for him offensively and defensively with more points and a positive rating.
Calgary plans to loan Morin back to Moncton for one more junior season before starting his contract in 2025-26.
What do you think about these new signings?
