Utah Hockey Club signs Tij Iginla, its first draft pick

Tij Iginla signed a three-year entry-level contract on Thursday with the Utah Hockey Club, which selected the Canadian striker first in franchise history at last month’s NHL Draft.

Iginla, 17, was selected No. 6 overall by Utah, formerly known as the Arizona Coyotes. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

“It was really cool to hear so much cheering when my name was called,” Iginla said Tuesday at Utah Development Camp. “I think the fans have been very welcoming to the hockey club and to me. It looks like we’re going to have some of the best fans in the league going forward and it should be a lot of fun.”

Iginla, whose father is Hockey Hall of Fame member Jarome Iginla, scored 84 points (47 goals, 37 assists) in 64 games last season for the Kelowna Rockets, a major junior team from British Columbia.

The younger Iginla also scored six goals and six assists in seven games, helping Canada win the gold medal at the 2024 IIHF U18 World Championship.

“I told him when I met with him, ‘We have a lot of 20-goal players on our roster, we’re looking for a 50-goal player. No pressure,'” Utah general manager Bill Armstrong said last month. “We really love him, not just as a person but as a player. He has everything we like.”

Iginla is expected to play at least one more season in Kelowna, focusing on his full-time center position after playing left wing and center last season.

This summer, the younger Iginla is working with his famous father to improve his all-around game.

“He’s contributed tremendously to my development,” Tij said Tuesday. “It will be nice to come back home and work with him on all aspects of my game. And then I have my brother and sister, so we’re on the ice a lot and just working on what we’ve been given for the day.”

“The focus is to continue to improve in all areas of my game. I just want to have a great summer and go into next season, no matter how it turns out, and just keep trying to improve my game as much as I can.”

–Field level media