Tough blow for Jarome Iginla’s son Tij in Utah...

Back in June, the Utah Hockey Club made history with their first pick at their inaugural NHL Draft, selecting the son of veteran forward Jarome Iginla, Tij, with the sixth overall pick. Weeks later, the franchise went on to sign the 17-year-old to an entry-level contract.

However on Wednesday, it was announced that the first round pick was being sent back to WHL Kelowna, per insider Chris Johnston.

It was a tough training camp for Iginla, who missed the rookie camp and rookie faceoff tournament due to a lower-body injury and only joined back with the club during the second week of camp. Upon his return from injury, Iginla looked good and apparently impressed the coaching staff and teammates, though it clearly was not enough to crack the main roster this time around.

During his two preseason appearances, Iginla looked good and confident as he was consistently involved in the offensive zone though he did not register a point on the scoring sheet. He registered five shots on net.
It was not enough.

On Draft Day back on June, 28, there were a lot of talks that the Calgary Flames would have a chance to select Tij Iginla with their ninth overall pick and would make the best fairy tale scenario come true as he would have followed in his legendary father’s steps. However, Utah HC came three spots prior and couldn’t pass up the opportunity to land the young forward.

The young Iginla suited up for the WHL’s Kelowna Rockets during the 2023-2024 campaign. Across 64 games, Iginla posted 47 goals and 37 assists for 84 points — a major jump from his 18 points in 48 games a year prior. He was the team leader in goals for the Rockets during the regular season and added 15 points in 11 playoff games for the club. He also won a gold medal with Team Canada at the 2024 IIHF U18 World Junior Championship, tallying six goals and six assists through seven games.