Tij Iginla on possible Flames future: "It'd be a lot of fun"

The possibility of the Calgary Flames drafting Tij Iginla this June has been discussed for quite some time.

After a mediocre rookie season in the WHL as a 16-year-old, Iginla’s stock has raised a ton heading into this year’s draft following a 47-goal, 84-point season with the Kelowna Rockets. The huge outbreak has seen him catapult his way up the prospect rankings, with many projecting him to be a top-10 pick.

The Flames are set to select ninth overall next month, fueling speculation that they will be looking to draft Iginla. After all, his father, Jarome, is widely regarded as the best player in the franchise’s lengthy history. He leads the franchise in several categories, including games played (1,219), goals (525), and points (1,095). In 2004, he helped lead the Flames all the way to the Stanley Cup Final, a run in which he had 13 goals and 22 points.

With the draft getting closer and closer, TSN’s Mark Masters recently conducted a television interview with Iginla, where the 17-year-old gave his thoughts about the potential of being selected by the Flames.

“It sounds like it would be a lot of fun and be a cool opportunity,” Iginla said. “Obviously I don’t know exactly how things are going to shake out. I try not to speculate too much, but I know they’re there at pick nine or whatever it is. I guess we’ll just have to see how it goes, but that would definitely be pretty cool.”

Tij Iginla on TSN today when asked about possibly playing for his father’s team, the #Flames.
Thanks to into.the.flames on Instagram for the clip. pic.twitter.com/KdDDcF3PHi

— Andrew Mangiapane is the best Breadman (@FieryBreadman) May 31, 2024

The Flames still have a ways to go in their retooling efforts, though whichever prospect they land with their ninth overall pick will go a long way in helping that. Whoever they select, paired with some of their other impressive young talent, such as Matt Coronato, Connor Zary, and Dustin Wolf, points to brighter days ahead for the Flames organization.

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