The Utah Hockey Club is sending Tij Iginla back to the WHL’s Kelowna Rockets.
Iginla’s start to his first NHL training camp was delayed by a lower-body injury. He appeared in two pre-season games and recorded an assist while averaging 12:24 of ice time.
“I really like his skill set. He has good execution, he’s creative offensively. I think he was in a tough spot. He missed an important part of the camp where we were talking structure and all of it,” Utah head coach Andre Touringy told KSL Sports. “So, he had to jump in the action without having a lot of reps… for an 18-year-old guy who did not have a lot of reps in our structure, I liked his game.”
Iginla was selected by Utah at sixth overall in the 2024 NHL Draft making him the first draft pick in team history. He saw his stock rise in his draft year after scoring 47 goals and 84 points in 64 with Kelowna.