‘Got his Dad’s attitude too’: Praise for prospect Tij Iginla grows ahead of NHL Draft
By Sam Nestler
12 days agoJarome Iginla will never be forgotten as a member of the Calgary Flames. And now, his legacy on the ice will go even further, as his son, Tij Iginla, is expected to be drafted in the first round of the 2024 NHL Entry Draft.
Tij, 17, has bolstered his draft resume with an excellent 84-point (47 goals, 37 assists) season with Kelowna in the Western Hockey League and a 12-point (six goals, six assists) performance in seven games for Team Canada at the IIHF U18 World Junior Championship.
Tij is now the ninth-ranked prospect on the NHL’s draft prospect rankings and sits 11th on Daily Faceoff prospect analyst Steven Ellis’ most recent list.
But it isn’t just the skill that is getting him recognized.
His Dad’s attitude. That is usually a good thing.
But in this case, when your dad is a 2020 NHL Hall-of-Fame inductee who played 1,554 career games, served as captain of the Flames and one of the most respected players in the league, holds the franchise record for games played (1,219), goals (525) and points (1,095), won just about every NHL award and multiple gold medals and finally, was hired as a special advisor to Calgary general manager Craig Conroy in 2023, it is a really, really good thing.
Tij looks to be set up for a very successful NHL career. But here is where things get really interesting. The Calgary Flames hold the ninth-overall pick in this year’s draft, right around where Tij is projected in nearly all prospect rankings.
While some believe he has recently upgraded into the tier just below first-overall pick Macklin Celebrini, it is certainly something to watch at the end of the month.
Will Tij Iginla still be available at pick number nine? If so, would the Flames hesitate? If he is not expected to be available that late, will Calgary do what they can to trade up and select him?
If so, what a moment it would be for Jarome Iginla to announce the pick that makes his own son a part of his long-time franchise.
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