TIJ IGINLA

Center/Left Wing
6’0/186
Left
Kelowna Rockets/WHL

Next: Trevor Connelly

Tij Iginla is the Son of former Calgary Flames Legend Jarome Iginla, and he has a serious chance at following in his father’s footsteps, in terms of being a goal-scoring Winger. Tij doesn’t have the physicality and toughness that his dad became known for, but he does possess all the tools necessary to be an elite goal-scoring winger. Tij has had an excellent season with the Kelowna Rockets, and although his scoring dried up a bit recently, Iginla still has recorded 31 goals, 24 assists, and 55 points in 40 games. He’s a good skater who can beat you in a straight-out race, cut past you laterally with quick weight shifts, or can straight outpower a defenseman on his drives to the net. On the puck, he’s a dangerous individual creator who can create in knifing bursts and works quickly to put defenders on their heels attacking on angles and jumps. Iginla knows how to get to those high-danger scoring areas, and when paired with his lightning-quick release, he is a dangerous goal scorer. Iginla is a solid player in transition, but where he makes his living is off the cycle, as much like his father has a tendency to play with power and force,
and can be difficult to contain for a defenseman. Tij Iginla is certainly an intriguing prospect and because of he is the son of Jarome Iginla, he should be a sure bet to be a mid-first-round pick, much like his dad was.

Size/Strength Great
Skating Great
Shot/Scoring Great
Puckhandling Good
Physical Play Good
Offensive Play Excellent
Defensive Play Good
Hockey Sense Excellent
Competitiveness Excellent

Strengths

1. He gets off the wall to the middle quickly, and can also drift into high-danger areas, and when paired with his lightning-quick snapshot, makes him a dangerous goal scorer.
2. Can get underneath players to dislodge pucks and then use a power stride to get it to the net front. Can also beat goalies from a distance.
3. On the puck, he’s a dangerous individual creator who can create in knifing bursts and works quickly to put defenders on their heels attacking on angles and jumps.

Areas of Improvement

1. Is a Streaky Scorer; will need to be more consistent.
2. Lacks the high-end dynamism of some of the other WHLers in the class.

Scouting Report

After a red-hot start to the 2023-24 season, the scoring has dried up, but Tij Iginla still looks like an interesting prospect. Besides the name pedigree, Iginla is an easy player to root for. His habits away from the puck are a definite strength, from his frequent scanning, active stick, good forechecking routes, and hard-nosed backchecking. Iginla’s best skills seem to be in slowing the play down to give him space or finding soft spots on the ice. He gets off the wall to the middle quickly, and can also drift into high-danger areas, and when paired with his lightning-quick snapshot, makes him a dangerous goal scorer. Though his skating isn’t elite, he’s got quickness, stability, and mobility which helps him be a solid transition player, though they’re more useful off the cycle, where he is just as effective, solving problems and playing a possession game. Iginla lacks the high-end dynamism of some of the other WHL players in this class, but his combination of all-around skills and pro-level habits make him a good bet to be a contributing NHL player. Ironically the player that Tij Iginla reminds me the most of is his father, Jarome Iginla, while he doesn’t play with the physicality and toughness
that Jarome used to, Tij has an identical release to Jarome and all the tools to be an elite goal scorer. Being the Son of a former NHL icon is almost guarantees he is going to be a 1st round pick, the question is where in the first round, does he get selected. Tij has the potential to be a top-six-goal-scoring winger in the NHL, and any team that lands him is going to be getting a great player.

Skill: Goalscoring Winger with a very good release and good offensive instincts, plays a solid all-around game.

NHL Comparable: Jarome Iginla

NHL Potential: Top 6 Goal Scoring Winger

Season	Team	League	GP	G	PTS
2022-23	Seattle Thunderbirds	WHL	48	6	18
	Canada Red U17	WHC-17	7	2	7
2023-24	Kelowna Rockets	WHL	40	31	55

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