Tizi Iginla understands the weight his last name carries.
His father, Jarome, a Hockey Hall of Famer, played 20 seasons in the NHL, the majority of them with the Calgary Flames, where he led the team in goals (525), points (1,095) and games played (1,219).
The Flames retired Jarome Iginla's jersey in 2019 and Calgary fans were understandably excited to see his son continue the family tradition with the franchise, but Utah general manager Bill Armstrong wouldn't allow that, taking the younger Iginla with the sixth overall pick in Friday's NHL Draft, three spots ahead of the Flames' selection.
For Tiji Iginla, putting on the same jersey as his father would undoubtedly be a monumental moment, but with Utah as a franchise with a clean slate, there's less pressure to live up to his last name right away.
“Yeah, maybe a little bit,” he said Sunday when asked if having the last name Iginla added pressure. “If I was going to a Canadian team or Calgary or whatever, there might have been more pressure, but I think it's good to be here and carve my own path.”
One piece of advice he received from his father was to take it easy and soak it all up on draft night at the Sphere in Las Vegas, and that's exactly what he tried to do.
“It's definitely been a little hectic but it's been a lot of fun. It's finally starting to feel surreal and I'm really looking forward to starting camp,” Tizi Iginla said.
Now the work begins of carving out his own path in the NHL.
It's been a whirlwind week for the 6-foot, 186-pound 17-year-old center and Utah's 10 remaining draft picks who arrived at the Grand America Hotel in Salt Lake City.
On Monday, they'll head to Utah State's development camp in Park City for four days, where they'll be coached by Utah State staff, conduct on-ice drills and off-ice training at Park City Ice Arena and meet with the Utah brain trust.
Development camp will conclude with a free scrimmage at the Delta Center on July 5 at 1:00 PM MDT, which will be the first opportunity for fans to see Utah's draft picks and other players from UHC's farm system in action.
In Park City, Iginla is looking to show what Utah thought highly of him: his positional versatility. He said Sunday that while he's good to play both center and wing, he sees himself as a center in the NHL because of his speed and evasiveness on skates, his puck-handling, his playmaking and scoring ability.
“Every part of my game, my technique, my speed, my competitiveness and just trying to prove myself as much as I can,” Iginla said.
Iginla, in his second season with the Kelowna Rockets of the Western Hockey League, Canada's top junior hockey league, led the team with 47 goals last season, good for sixth in the WHL.
Armstrong told Iginla that Utah has plenty of 20-goal scorers, but they need a 50-goal scorer.
There's no pressure.
The possibility of Iginla achieving a 50-goal season in the NHL – something his father only managed twice – is still a long way off, and Armstrong and the Utah staff intend to give the No. 6 pick plenty of time to develop.
“He's got the pace and the opportunity to score goals. I like the way he thinks. It's great to see how far he's come. To me he's still got a long way to go in terms of how much he can grow as a player. That's the good thing about him,” Armstrong said.
“Contagious work ethic”
Armstrong had plenty of praise for Cole Beaudoin, the 24th pick in the first round of the draft after trading away from the Warriors.
“His work ethic, how hard he plays, could change the culture of our organization,” Utah's general manager said.
In May, The Athletic's NHL draft writer Scott Wheeler reported that several NHL teams had asked if a video of Beaudoin lifting weights was fake.
It's real, and it's a testament to the new Utah center's ability and dedication in the gym and commitment to physical fitness, not only lifting weights but also participating in stretching and yoga, all of which supports his play on the ice.
“Cole has an infectious work ethic. When you watch him play, you just love how hard he plays, how hard he practices and how seriously he takes the game,” Armstrong said.
At 6-foot-2 and 209 pounds, Beaudoin is an intimidating player, and that shows in his scouting report. He's physical, strong, aggressive and hardworking, always near the puck to win battles, and he's good at playmaking and shooting the ball.
Beaudoin totaled 62 points (28 goals, 34 assists) last season with the Barrie Colts of the Ontario Hockey League, Canada's top junior hockey league.
“I'm a guy that gives his all in any situation,” Beaudoin said Sunday. “Whether it's in the gym, in practice, in games, I'm going to give my all and help the team defensively. On offense, I'm going to help score goals, but I'm also going to help keep the puck out of the goal.”
Although Beaudoin was only four years old at the time, his father, Eric, had played professional ice hockey in Utah, appearing in 44 games for the Utah Grizzlies during the 2001-02 season.
“I talked to him after (the draft) and he said it's great, great city, great place. Obviously, he was only here a short time, but he loved it here and I can't wait to get started here,” Beaudoin said.
Beaudoin's NHL process begins Monday and he's hoping to hit the ground running.
“Just the way I play and the way I play, I'm just going to try to get on the team as soon as I can, go to training camp, try to make the team that year, and if I don't make it, I'm going to go back to my club team and have a good year and try to make the team the next year and do whatever I can to make that,” Beaudoin said.
“He's a great guy.”
In addition to introducing Utah State's two 2024 first-round draft picks to local media, UHC also invited 2022 No. 29 draft pick Maverick Lamoureux to the podium at Grand America.
The franchise's move from Arizona to Utah coincides with a turning point in Lamoureux's career. The 6-foot-7, 214-pound defenceman has spent the past two years playing in the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League, one of the three top divisions in junior hockey in Canada, but has undergone shoulder surgery in each of the past two offseasons.
Last season, Lamoureux appeared in just 29 games for the Drummondville Voltigeurs, scoring nine goals and recording 24 assists. As a result of his surgery, the tall Lamoureux will not be able to train at the team's development camp but will be with the coaches and players in Park City.
“I spent the whole summer in Arizona with the team trying to progress quickly and get the shoulder better, and now I'm finally getting closer to that goal,” he said.
“I'll be ready for rookie tournament, that's for sure, but I'm not there yet. I'm not practicing this week. I'm just going to work on it and try to get my shoulder healthier and healthier every day.”
Lamoureux is still trying to learn how to control his size and reduce the amount of penalties he takes, but if he can do that and stay healthy he's an intriguing prospect for UHC.
“He's a big guy, he can cover a lot of ground on the ice,” Armstrong said. “I think the great thing about Mab is he's got a drive to improve.”
“He has the same mindset that I had with a guy that we drafted out of St. Louis, Colton Parayko. Every time you see him, he gets a little bit stronger, a little bit faster, a little bit better. And with that size, he can have a big impact on a team, not just in terms of scoring, but the amount of time he can play in different situations.”
