Jaden Lipinski: From the Desert to Stampede City
Shortly after Jaden Lipinski was selected by the Calgary Flames in the fourth round of the 2023 NHL Entry Draft on June 29, a photo of him and Jarome Iginla started making the rounds on social media.
In it, the Vancouver Giants forward is shaking Iginla’s hand with what looks like an expression of disbelief on his face. After all, Iginla – who was recently named Special Assistant to GM Craig Conroy in Calgary – is a first-ballot Hall of Famer.
But what fans might not know is that shortly after the photo with Iginla was taken, Lipinski had another interaction with a former NHL great.
“I wish there was a picture like 10 seconds later walking down to the media [area],” Lipinski said from his home in Scottsdale, Arizona, recapping his draft day experience. “Shane Doan with the Leafs comes down and shakes my hand, just because you know I grew up in Arizona. So I wish there was a picture of that because I couldn’t even speak. I was so starstruck.”
Doan of course was the longtime captain of the Arizona Coyotes and for the past three years had been the club’s Director of Hockey Administration, before recently accepting a job with the Toronto Maple Leafs as Special Assistant to the GM.
“When I was little it was all about the Coyotes,” Lipinski said. “They were my team and having them was huge. I mean, I probably wouldn’t be talking to you if it weren’t for them.”
These two interactions with hockey royalty represent just a small fraction of what was a whirlwind couple of weeks for Lipinski, who attended the draft in Nashville with his parents on June 28 and 29 and then attended Flames Development Camp the very next week.
The 6-foot-4, 210 lb. centre understandably said he was a little bit nervous ahead of the draft, due to the uncertainty of if and when he’d get selected. But he also admitted he had seen some rankings ahead of time that he wished he hadn’t.
“I was picked a little bit later than maybe I thought. You hear some things, so I wish I didn’t know that because I would have expected me to get picked right around [where I went],” Lipinski said. “It kind of sucked just sitting there, hearing the names get called and you’re like, ‘Oh my God, am I gonna go?’…I just tried to keep calm and just talk to my dad a lot.
“As soon as it happened, it just didn’t matter. It was cool to share that with everyone who’s helped me get there and especially my dad, so that was a cool moment.”
In his second season with the Giants, the right-shot forward finished third on the Giants in scoring with 51 points (19G-32A) in 66 games, a 34-point improvement from his rookie season. His breakout 2022-23 campaign consisted of a team-leading five game-winning-goals, eight power play goals (2nd on Vancouver) and a 51 per cent clip in the face-off circle (460 FOW).
He was also named the Bublé Iron Man of the Year and Save-On-Foods High School Scholastic Player of the Year with the Giants.
Lipinski said he thinks his ability to play a two-way game was a big factor in Calgary selecting him. And what allowed his two-way game to grow last season in Vancouver?
One word: opportunity.
“Mainly, it’s just the playing time grew as the season went on,” he said. “Obviously from the first year when you’re a young guy in the league, you don’t really get as much opportunity. So I think the opportunity that I was able to get really gave me confidence and elevated my game. So I was just able to showcase that.”
It was with the 112th overall selection when Lipinski heard his name called, and by the same team that had selected Giants teammate Samuel Honzek one day earlier, with the 16th overall pick.
The fact that the two Giants had both been picked by Calgary didn’t quite sink in with Lipinski right away.
“When [Honzek] got picked, I was just so excited for him. I didn’t even realize the team he went to,” Lipinski said. “It didn’t matter. I was just so happy that he got to picked. So when [the Flames] said it to me, I was like ‘Oh my God, that’s crazy.’”
Aside from the comfort of having a teammate get drafted by the same team, Lipinski said Calgary was a great landing spot for him for multiple reasons.
“I believe the Flames like big players. It was pretty clear at development camp with a lot of big guys there. So I think I fit their kind of model there,” he said. “The situation they’re in is definitely good for me as a young guy. But being there, like through that whole week, it was just apparent how professional it is. Obviously it’s a big step up and how they run things is so effective. So I’m really excited about that [and] then just the city, honestly, and being able to go to Banff…It was just a really, really nice place to live and I could definitely see myself enjoying it.”
The prospects that attended development camp from July 5-11 participated in on-ice sessions, including small area games and skill work, plus a 3-on-3 tournament. The team also took the 38 players to Sulphur Mountain in Banff and let them ride horses as part of the Calgary Stampede.
“Going up the mountain was really cool. Unfortunately, it rained, so we didn’t get to hike it. Well, maybe fortunately we didn’t have to hike it,” Lipinski joked. “The horseback riding was something very new to me. I’d never ridden a horse before so that was really cool…My horse [Saffer] treated me well.”
After camp concluded, Lipinski went home to Scottsdale, where he has been training for next season. He works out around five times a week, sometimes six if he can fit in a hike. Plus he skates whenever he can get ice.
Soon, Lipinski will head back to Calgary to continue preparing for the 2023-24 WHL season, alongside Honzek, who will both likely play key roles on a young Giants team.
“We’ve got a lot of young guys coming in. So I think we’re going to surprise people,” Lipinski said. “I think with the skill that we’re adding, I think we’re going to take a step in the right direction. Offensively, we weren’t great offensively last season. So I think we’re gonna get a lot more offence overall. And then second-year guys like Colton Roberts or Will Subject, those guys starting to mature more and are going to get a lot more opportunity. So I think that’s probably the most exciting thing.”
