Just lately, most of the finest younger prospects gathered in Minneapolis for the 2025 World Junior Summer time Showcase, a week-long occasion that features Canada, the USA, Sweden, Finland, and Czechia the place groups apply and play exhibition video games to assist with the choice course of for the 2026 IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship.
Associated: 3 Ultimate Takeaways From World Junior Summer time Showcase Week
Following the occasion, Scott Wheeler, Corey Pronman, and Max Bultman of The Athletic put out projected rosters for all 5 nations that attended the occasion. The Calgary Flames have been properly represented at this occasion and on these projected rosters, so let’s focus on which Flames’ prospects participated within the occasion and which of them are projected to symbolize their nations.
Zayne Parekh – Crew Canada
The Flames drafted Zayne Parekh with the ninth-overall decide within the 2024 NHL Entry Draft. Earlier than this draft, he was extensively considered among the finest skaters within the class and doubtlessly the perfect defensive prospect eligible to be drafted in 2024 after placing up 33 objectives and 63 assists for 96 factors in 66 video games as a defenseman within the Ontario Hockey League (OHL).
After being drafted, Parekh returned to the OHL’s Saginaw Spirit for the 2024-25 season, the place he constructed off his unbelievable 2023-24 marketing campaign. He scored one other 33 objectives and added 74 assists for 107 factors in 61 video games, which made him the OHL’s chief in objectives and factors amongst defensemen for the second straight season.
For Parekh, it isn’t a query if he has the expertise to make this roster. Not solely was he a top-10 decide, however he has additionally been ranked fourth in The Athletic‘s prime drafted prospect rankings for 2025 (High 100 drafted NHL prospects rating: Schaefer, Misa, Demidov lead Wheeler’s summer season 2025 listing, The Athletic, July 14, 2025).
The query is, extra so, will he be taking part in within the NHL this season with the Flames? With the Flames already having Mackenzie Weegar and Rasmus Andersson on their roster, there’s cause to consider the Flames gained’t need three offensive-minded defenseman on their proper aspect. Nonetheless, at this level, Parekh’s expertise feels simple, and no matter roster development, it seems like he has a good chance to make the Flames roster after instantly making an influence final season, scoring his first-career NHL objective in his first and solely NHL sport.
If he’s a constant a part of the Flames lineup subsequent season, it’s unlikely they are going to let him play within the World Juniors with them anticipating to be within the hunt for a Stanley Cup Playoff spot once more. If so, it will be a large blow for Crew Canada to doubtlessly shedding among the finest defenders within the event.
Cole Reschny – Crew Canada
The Flames chosen Cole Reschny with the 18th-overall decide within the first spherical of the 2025 NHL Entry Draft. He’s a shorter, however highly-skilled winger who dominated the Western Hockey League (WHL) final season for the Victoria Royals, scoring 26 objectives and totalling 92 factors in 62 video games. His 92 factors have been the second-most amongst draft-eligible gamers within the WHL final season.
Whereas Reschny is exceptionally proficient, he nonetheless wants time to develop his sport earlier than he can be able to play within the NHL. For the 2025-26 season, he has dedicated to the College of North Dakota and can be one in all many Canadian Hockey League (CHL) gamers making the transition into faculty hockey.
Proper now, The Athletic has him penciled in on Canada’s fourth line, so there may very well be some potential that Hockey Canada opts to go along with a ahead like Nashville Predators prospect Brady Martin, who could also be higher suited to a bottom-six position. Nonetheless, Reschny’s earlier worldwide appearances may give him the sting on among the borderline guys making an attempt to crack the roster after having 5 objectives and eight factors in 5 video games ultimately 12 months’s Underneath-18 IIHF World Juniors.
Cullen Potter – Crew USA
Cullen Potter was the Flames’ second first-round decide of the 2025 NHL Entry Draft. They chose him thirty second general after a robust freshman marketing campaign at Arizona State College, the place he had 13 objectives and 22 factors in 35 video games.
The Athletic‘s projected lineup has Potter listed because the third-line centre. Very similar to Reschny, Potter is on the smaller aspect, however his elite pace, mobility, and playmaking assist make up for the dearth of measurement. The priority for him making this staff is that he doesn’t profile as the standard third-line centre, and with Crew USA having different choices with extra measurement and who could also be higher defensively, Potter will want a robust begin to the season to solidify his spot.
Nonetheless, of their roster projection, The Athletic famous that Potter was one of many largest standouts amongst Individuals on the showcase and his historical past of getting eight factors in seven video games on the Underneath-17 IIHF World Juniors and one other eight factors in seven video games on the Underneath-18 IIHF World Juniors may give him the sting over his largest competitors, Cole McKinney, who was not as spectacular in both of these occasions.
Henry Mews – Crew Canada
Henry Mews is the one man we’re going to discuss right here who isn’t listed on Canada’s projected roster or within the extras. Nonetheless, The Athletic notes that “Canada will doubtless additionally carry Flames prospect Henry Mews to run one in all its energy performs in the event that they lose some mixture of Sam Dickinson, Zayne Parekh and Matthew Schaefer” (2026 World Juniors roster projections: Predicting lineups for Canada, USA, Sweden, Finland, Czechia, The Athletic, August 5, 2025).
The Flames chosen Mews within the third spherical of the 2024 NHL Entry Draft. He’s a cellular offensive defenseman, which makes him the right candidate to fill in and quarterback an influence play. Whereas he isn’t within the projected lineup as of now, it’s onerous to consider that none of Dickinson, Parekh, and Schaefer will make the NHL this season contemplating they’re all ranked within the prime six in The Athletic‘s prime 100 drafted prospect rankings.
Flames Ought to Be Properly Represented on the Worldwide Stage
The Flames having a number of gamers projected to play within the 2026 World Juniors is a superb signal for the group. It reveals that they’d completed a strong job drafting younger expertise regardless of solely drafting contained in the top-10 as soon as since 2016 once they chosen Matthew Tkachuk sixth general.
Whereas these rosters are removed from set, it is going to be attention-grabbing to comply with alongside and see which gamers can elevate and solidify their spots on their respective nations’ rosters within the coming months and compete within the World Juniors, that are set for its typical begin on Boxing Day, (Dec. 26, 2025.)
