Iginla forging own path to Kubota CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game
Tij Iginla may carry a world-class hockey pedigree, but the Kelowna Rockets forward comes by his accolades honestly.
“There are few players, especially within our team, that possess what he does,” Rockets Head Coach Kris Mallette said. “Tij has got great skill, great edges and an elite shot right now. So I’d say he’s in the upper echelon within the Western Hockey League for sure- and especially in his age bracket.
He loves to work on his craft. He’s a true student of the game. He wants to forge his own his own path in this game, and I think he’s off on the right foot for sure.”
The 17-year-old son of Hockey Hall of Famer and WHL legend Jarome Iginla has shot up the depth chart- and NHL draft rankings- since being acquired by the Rockets in a trade with the Seattle Thunderbirds in June of 2023.
Where Iginla fought to find ice time on a stacked Thunderbirds team that captured a WHL Championship, he’s carved out a key role in the Rockets’ top six and flexed his offensive muscle as a winger and centreman.
He leads Kelowna in goals with 27 and has tacked on 22 helpers in 38 contests, earning Tempo WHL Player of the Week honours in December, but he’s also evolved his approach to the game in a significant way throughout the season.
“(His) puck distribution has gotten better,” Mallette noted. “I think he often looks for the perfect opportunity to get a shot off and he doesn’t need a perfect opportunity. He can get it there in a hurry. And I think so then that selection aspect of things has gotten better. But just creating, creating space and his work ethic is second to none.
He is a player that is looked upon, not only on the staff but by his teammates, to produce offensively and he’s done a great job of that so far.”
The added responsibility and offensive output- and the confidence that comes with it- has helped Iginla rise from a ‘B’ prospect in NHL Central Scouting’s preliminary rankings in October, projecting him as a potential second or third-round pick in the 2024 NHL Entry Draft, to an ‘A’ in December, to being ranked 11th among North American skaters in the mid-season rankings.
He’ll have another chance to impress scouts at the Kubota CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game in Moncton, N.B. on January 24.
Iginla has represented Team Canada Red at the 2022 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge, where he netted a pair of goals and five assists in seven games en route to a silver medal.