Sport
JUST IN: Utah Hockey Club In Danger After Selection!
The Utah Hockey Club have selected center Tij Iginla with the No. 6 overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft.
The Lake Country, British Columbia native spent the entirety of his 2023-24 season with the Kelowna Rockets in the Western Hockey League, where he had 47 goals and 37 assists for 84 points in 64 regular season games, good for second in team scoring behind Washington Capitals prospect and 2023 second-round pick Andrew Cristall.
Iginla also had 9 goals and 6 assists for 15 points in 11 playoff games, which tied with Cristall for the team lead in scoring as the Rockets lost in five games in the second round to the Prince George Cougars.
Iginla also got into some international play with the Canadian U-18 team, where he had 6 goals and 6 assists for 12 points in 7 games, as Canada went on to win gold against the United States.
Daily Faceoff’s own prospect expert Steven Ellis projected Iginla to go 8th overall in his Top 120 Draft Rankings. Ellis had this to say about him in his prospect rankings:
“Score, score and score some more,” Ellis said. “That’s what he does best. Iginla is a solid distributor, don’t get me wrong. But with the puck on his stick, he’s a dangerous generator. He plays with good pace, and while he isn’t big, he’s physically strong. There’s top-six potential here for a guy who loves controlling the pace of play. It doesn’t hurt having his family’s pedigree, either. I know some really think he could go in the top five of the NHL Draft, but I don’t know if I see as much true star upside as some others. Regardless, he’ll be one heck of a player.”
Iginla is also the son of Calgary Flames legend Jarome Iginla, who played for 22 seasons in the NHL. Across 1,554 games with the Flames, Pittsburgh Penguins, Boston Bruins, Colorado Avalanche and Los Angeles Kings, Jarome had 625 goals, 675 assists and 1,300 points, along with 37 goals and 31 assists for 68 points in 81 playoff games. He also has an Art Ross trophy, two Maurice “Rocket” Richard trophies, and finished in 36th in all-time scoring.
Iginla becomes the first-ever selection by the Utah Hockey Club.
