NHL Draft: Tij Iginla Picked Sixth by Utah

When Tij Iginla’s junior hockey days come to an end, he takes his skills south, across the border.

To Utah.

During the 2024 NHL Entry Draft in Las Vegas on Friday, the Utah Hockey Club selected Iginla of the Kelowna Rockets in sixth place overall.

2:06
Spokane Chiefs star Catton leads Saskatchewan’s top prospects at the 2024 NHL Draft

The 17-year-old’s name was announced at 5 p.m., about 30 minutes after the San Jose Sharks predictably drafted North Vancouver’s Maklin Celebrini first.

Iginla, in his second WHL season, scored 47 goals and 84 points in 64 regular season games for the Kelowna Rockets.

The season before, the 6-foot-3 forward from Lake Country had six goals and 18 points in 48 games for Seattle as a 16-year-old rookie.

By being selected sixth overall, Iginla became the highest drafted forward in Rockets history. He also became Kelowna’s second-highest drafted player ever, just one spot behind defenseman Luke Schenn, who was selected fifth overall in 2008.

And, most notably, Tij set another record of sorts: he became the highest-ranked player in his family.

His father, NHL legend Jarome IginlaDrafted eleventh overall by the Dallas Stars in 1995.

“Iginla’s selection at No. 6 also marks the sixth time in NHL history that a father-son duo has been named to the top 15,” the Canadian Hockey League said.

Utah is now home to the former Arizona Coyotes franchise. The team, which will be based in Salt Lake City, recently held a contest for a new name.

The top six names are Blizzard, Hockey Club, Mammoth, Outlaws, Venom and Yeti. The winning name will be announced in the coming months.

&copy 2024 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.