Parekh scores twice, Canada secures nervy victory over Czechia to open world juniors

By Canadian Press on December 26, 2025.

MINNEAPOLIS — Zayne Parekh had trouble getting out of bed Friday.

The smooth-skating, cool-under-pressure defenceman’s legs felt heavy and his body ached with an illness.

Parekh rallied ahead of Canada’s opener at the world junior hockey championship — and delivered a performance that put a smile back on his face amid a challenging season.

The Calgary Flames blueliner scored twice to pace his country to a nervy 7-5 victory over Czechia to open the men’s under-20 tournament.

“Feeling really under the weather,” Parekh said of his morning. “But I pumped a bunch of electrolytes into me and some meds.”

Michael Hage and Ethan MacKenzie, with a goal and two assists each, Brady Martin, with a goal and an assist, Tij Iginla and Porter Martone, into the empty net, provided the rest of the offence for Canada.

Gavin McKenna — one of six returnees from last year’s team that lost to Czechia before the medal round — and Cole Beaudoin had two assists each. Carter George made 28 saves.

Tomas Poletin, with two goals, Vojtech Cihar, with a goal and two assists, Petr Sikora, with a goal and an assist, and Tomas Galvas replied for the Czechs, who got 20 stops from Michal Orsulak. Vaclav Nestrasil and Adam Benak chipped in two assists apiece.

Looking for its record 21st gold medal at the men’s under-20 event, Canada is aiming to rebound from disastrous showings the last two years.

The country saw its dreams dashed by underdogs Czechia in consecutive quarterfinals — at the 2024 event in Sweden and 12 months ago on home soil in Ottawa. The Czechs went on to finish third at both tournaments.

“Sitting with that loss for the last year sucked,” said McKenna, the potential No. 1 pick at the 2026 NHL draft. “It feels good and I’m sure the country’s pretty happy.”

The 19-year-old Parekh, who was cut from last year’s team, hadn’t played a competitive game since getting injured in the NHL on Nov. 7. The Flames sent Parekh to the world juniors hoping to get him back smiling after a tough stretch for a player with a pair of 95-point showings in the Ontario Hockey League.

“I needed this,” he said. “Mentally, it’s been a grind. For me, I’m happy I could help the team win … I’m getting back to where I am.”

Parekh was then asked to expand on his challenges in 2025-26.

“It’s probably the question that’ll get me in trouble, but it’s been a tough season,” he said. “I haven’t found my groove, and that’s why I’m here … looking to find it.”

Sporting their white jerseys with a red Maple Leaf, the Canadians got a power play with the score tied 3-3 early in the third. Parekh collected a deflected McKenna pass in the high slot with his glove and then snapped his second of the night at 3:49.

Poletin got the Czechs back level at 5:21 with Canada a complete mess in the defensive zone.

But Iginla, the son of Hockey Hall of Famer Jarome Iginla, restored his team’s lead for good off the rush at 6:32 and MacKenzie made it 6-4 at 9:12 after taking a pass from Hage to complete a four-goal barrage in 5:23.

Galvas took advantage of a turnover at 15:26 to pull the Czechs back within one, but Martone scored into the empty net as the Canadians held on for the unconvincing victory.

“It means a lot to us, but I think even more to the country,” George said of the players back from the 2025 squad who left the ice in the nation’s capital in tears. “Last two years, they’ve knocked us out. For us to get the first one against them, it means a lot.

“And if we do see them in an elimination game, I know everyone will be hungry for that one, too.”

Canada, which beat Czechia for gold in Halifax in 2023, opened the scoring at 13:53 of the first when McKenna found Martin in the slot with a terrific spinning, no-look pass.

The Canadian goal song “Courage” by The Tragically Hip rang around 3M Arena on the University of Minnesota campus as the players celebrated. Hockey Canada announced earlier in the day it’s “borrowing” the Toronto Blue Jays’ home run horn whenever a puck hits the back of the opposition’s net in Minnesota.

Czechia equalized at 17:01 when Poletin tipped home a point shot and had words for Canada’s bench. Hage, a Montreal Canadiens prospect, restored the lead just 37 seconds later.

The Czechs knotted the score 2-2 on a delayed penalty at 4:02 of the second when Cihar redirected a shot and Sikora pushed his team ahead at 12:13.

“The turnover ratio was big, I bet you, for both teams,” said Canadian head coach Dale Hunter. “Turnovers are the problem. They come right back on our (defence) and they have no gap.”

Parekh calmed some nerves at 17:02 when he wired his first to send the teams to the locker rooms all square — and set the stage for a wild final period.

Canada faces a quick turnaround with its second game set for Saturday afternoon against Latvia in Group B.

“You have a big win, it’s over now,” Hunter said. “You’ve got to move on. You can’t live in the past, win or lose.”