The Montreal Canadiens appear to have a strong interest in selecting Jarome Iginla’s son at the upcoming NHL Draft.
According to a new report from BPM Sports host Stephane Gonzalez, members of the Canadiens’ management team have already met with draft-eligible forward Tij Iginla on multiple occasions over the past year.
“Tij Iginla’s name has come out. I can confirm I’ve received information that Kent Hughes and Jeff Gorton have already met with Tij Iginla on four occasions this year,” Gonzalez said in French on the air on Wednesday.
“They hold him in high esteem [but] we’ll have to wait and see where he ends up,” he added.
Le Canadien aimerait beaucoup le jeune attaquant, selon les informations de @stephgonzz đź‘€
Segment complet au https://t.co/qNeSbci3eG#LNH #Canadiens #RepĂŞchageLNH pic.twitter.com/HEG7djP9RW
— BPM Sports (@BPMSportsRadio) April 3, 2024
Iginla, 17, is having an outstanding year in the WHL with the Kelowna Rockets. The Lake Country BC native had another huge outing last Friday, scoring a hat trick in his team’s first playoff game versus the Wenatchee Wild.
The Calgary Flames legend’s oldest son had a breakout season with the Rockets, scoring 47 goals and 84 points in just 64 games. The productive campaign has resulted in him rising up the draft boards, with Sportsnet’s latest rankings projecting him to go 11th overall.
Meanwhile, the Canadiens are expected to finish between 25th and 28th in the NHL’s overall standings. As things currently stand among the draft lottery odds, Montreal will most likely end up with the sixth overall pick (34.1% chance) or seventh overall pick (41.4% chance).
With that said, the Flames are not far behind Montreal in the race to the bottom, currently holding a 54.4% chance of securing the eighth overall pick.
With both teams in prime position to select the 6-foot-tall goal scorer, there’s a strong chance that Iginla ends up with the NHL’s most storied franchise or the team his father captained for nearly a decade.
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