By The Canadian Press

Canada nabs world junior bronze; Parekh sets record, apologizes to Flames for comment

Jan 5, 2026 | 4:14 PM

SAINT PAUL — Zayne Parekh didn’t have much interest in the high-water mark he had just surpassed.

Despite registering the most points ever by a Canadian defenceman at a world junior hockey championship, the 19-year-old felt he hadn’t done enough.

The Calgary Flames blueliner then closed his tournament with an apology.

Parekh had a goal and an assist to set a new record for points by a blueliner from Canada at an under-20 men’s showcase with 13 as the country salvaged a bronze medal thanks to a 6-3 victory over Finland on Monday.

“Not too much,” he said when asked what he thought of passing the previous mark of 12 points previously held by Bryan McCabe (1995) and Alex Pietrangelo (2008). “It’s just disappointing we didn’t come away with gold. That’s the ultimate goal.”

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Parekh also walked back comments made New Year’s Day on his comfort level speaking with the media — and if it was based off what he had seen from other athletes?

“I think it’s more watching NHL guys be robots and not having any personality,” Parekh said Thursday. “I think you need some personality, and it’s 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 could kind of do what I want.”

Parekh concluded his Monday scrum with a mea culpa after subsequently not being made available to reporters until the world juniors concluded.

“I think some things got spun out of proportion … probably worded things wrongly,” said the Nobleton, Ont., product. “But obviously it wasn’t my intent in the words I said, and 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.”

Gavin McKenna scored and added three assists against Finland for Canada, which was bounced by Czechia less than 24 hours earlier in the semifinals. Sam O’Reilly, with two, Braeden Cootes and Porter Martone provided the rest of the offence. Carter George made 32 saves.

Michael Hage had four assists to finish with a tournament-high 15 points. McKenna was second with 14, while Parekh was one back in third.

Canada was left heartbroken after falling 6-4 on Sunday — the third straight year the Czechs have crushed the country’s gold-medal dreams following quarterfinal exits in both 2024 and 2025.

“All of us showed a lot of resilience,” Martone said. “It’s a great result to end the tournament with a win.”

Heikki Ruohonen, with a goal and an assist, Arttu Valila and Julius Miettinen replied for Finland. Petteri Rimpinen made 28 stops after his nation lost 4-3 to Sweden in a dramatic Sunday shootout with a spot in the final on the line.

Canada, which has won a record 20 gold medals after last topping the field at the 2023 event in Halifax, claimed bronze for just the sixth time. The powerhouse hadn’t played in the third-place game since 2014 and last won it in 2012.

“We had a lot of fun together, a lot of great memories,” McKenna said. “It sucks we couldn’t get it done.”

Sweden topped Czechia 4-2 in the title game later Monday at Grand Casino Arena for only that country’s third-ever gold in the first podium showdown to not involve either Canada or the United States since 2016.

O’Reilly opened the scoring 70 seconds into Monday’s bronze-medal first period on a 2-on-1 with Hage in front of a small crowd inside the home of the NHL’s Minnesota Wild.

“I enjoyed my time with these guys,” Hage said. “Happy I’ve gotten this opportunity.”

Valila responded for Finland, which lost last year’s final to the Americans in overtime, at 3:23 before Cootes fired home from the slot at 4:57.

The Finns got back even at 11:58 when Miettinen beat George on a man advantage. But Parekh scored on Canada’s white-hot power play — 10-for-20 entering Monday — when he ripped an effort past Rimpinen with 1:19 remaining in the period.

Canadian defenceman Kashawn Aitcheson then rocked Max Westergard off the ensuing faceoff with a huge hit that sent the Finnish forward to the locker room.

Martone made it 4-2 at 1:47 of the second on a Tij Iginla feed and a Parekh assist for the national defence scoring record. O’Reilly pushed the lead to three with his second of the game on another power play at 5:27.

Ruohonen snuck a shot past George, who lost Canada’s net for the quarters and semis to Jack Ivankovic, to make it 5-3 at 14:18.

McKenna picked up his fourth point of the game at 13:35 of the third when he scored with Rimpinen out of position. Hage bagged his fourth assist to secure the outright lead atop the scoring race.

The Canadians then left with heads held high — and lingering disappointment.

“No one will remember this because we didn’t win gold,” Parekh said. “It’s really unfortunate.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 5, 2026.

Joshua Clipperton, The Canadian Press