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Tij Iginla: Could the Calgary Flames actually draft Jarome’s son?

ByBrett Montrose|
(EDITORS NOTE: caption correction) Mar 2, 2019; Calgary, Alberta, CAN; Calgary Flames former captain Jarome Iginla and his family watch his banner being raised to the rafters in a ceremony to retire his jersey before the Calgary Flames take on the Minnesota Wild at Scotiabank Saddledome. Mandatory Credit: Candice Ward-USA TODAY Sports
(EDITORS NOTE: caption correction) Mar 2, 2019; Calgary, Alberta, CAN; Calgary Flames former captain Jarome Iginla and his family watch his banner being raised to the rafters in a ceremony to retire his jersey before the Calgary Flames take on the Minnesota Wild at Scotiabank Saddledome. Mandatory Credit: Candice Ward-USA TODAY Sports

Thanks to Nathan Murdock (“Graviteh”), it’s been brought to my attention that Jarome Iginla’s oldest son, Tij Iginla, is making his presence known early on in his time with the WHL’s Kelowna Rockets.

Yes, you read that right. Iginla has seven goals and 10 points in just six games with the Rockets.

Knowing Iginla is draft eligible in 2024, my mind did the same as all of the other Flames’ fans in the replies: “What are the chances the Flames could actually draft Jarome’s son?”

While Matt Coronato has been a treat to watch so far, another Iginla in the Calgary Flames organization could spark a fire that would burn the Saddledome to embers before the new rink is ready. The pandemonium would be next level.

Nonetheless, I took a look at some way-too-early pre-draft prospect rankings for the 2024 NHL Draft and here’s what I found:

Tij Iginla is not listed on The Hockey News’ first watch list of 33 players, Peter Baracchini’s (The Hockey Writers) rankings of 32 draft-eligible players, or even The Athletic’s top 32 or 34 honourable mentions. I could not find him on a list from Sportsnet, TSN, Daily Faceoff, or any list apart from Elite Prospects‘, which has Iginla ranked at 87.

Tij Iginla
Photo courtesy of BVM Sports

If the 17-year-old, 6’0”, 186-pound centre continues to impress, expect him to climb the draft rankings quickly. But as of right now, Iginla looks to be a projected third-rounder, meaning the Flames could theoretically snag him with a mid-second round pick (or go wild and draft him in the first).

Iginla played 48 games with the WHL’s Seattle Thunderbirds last season, putting up 18 points (6G, 12A). After being dealt to Kelowna over the summer, the son of a Calgary Flames icon is on pace to destroy that mark this season. Imagine how his draft stock would rise if he continues to score at a 1.67 points/game pace over a full 68-game campaign. While extremely unlikely due to the sample size of only six games, that would net the hometown (Lake Country, BC) forward 114 points and 79 goals.

Keep your eye on Tij Iginla. The picture of whether or not he could become a Calgary Flame will be a lot clearer soon.

In the meantime, check out his hat trick from two nights ago in the Rockets’ 6-3 win over the Spokane Chiefs:

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