In light of recent development read also ………………..
The only way to stop another Iginla from haunting Minnesota is to draft Tij Iginla…………………..
Assuming that apples do indeed fall from trees, the Minnesota Wild ought to be extremely wary of the 2024 NHL Draft. Tij Iginla, the son of Jarome Iginla—possibly the player who has burnt the Wild the most—is in this draft class.
Fans of the Wild are surprised that the elder Iginla scored 625 goals in his career, mostly because it seemed like he scored 500 goals against Minnesota alone. In actuality, it was “only” 39 goals in 84 career games against Minnesota (plus another 33 assists for good measure). Ryan Kesler, the next-best Wild Haunter, with just 26 goals in his career versus Minnesota.
That alone doesn’t convey the extent of Iginla’s power over the Wild. For the first four years and ninety-one goals of his career, Minnesota had no team; this was probably due to the Wild’s fear of “Iggy” and their inability to field a squad that would have to play against him. Iginla’s horror versus the Wild accounted for 7.3% of his 534 goals after Minnesota joined the conversation.
Then, naturally, 35 of those were from his tenure with Minnesota’s Northwest Division opponents, the Calgary Flames. With his mix of outstanding shooting ability and destructive ball play style, the Wild could never stop him. Even now, longtime Minnesota supporters still get cold sweats when they see No. 12.
Nobody is arguing that Tij’s father Jarome is the only reason the Wild should draft him. That would be absurd. I’m trying to argue that the Wild may have to draft Tij in order to avoid suffering under an Iginla for twenty years.
Don’t get me wrong; Tij should be drafted regardless of his ancestry in slaughtering wild animals. The child of Jarome is a fantastic potential in and of himself. Last season, his 47 goals for the Kelowna Rockets of the WHL tied him for sixth place in the league. Because he won’t turn 18 until August 1, he is also among the youngest players in this selection. There is plenty of time for this elite talent to develop before making his NHL debut.
The Wild might select Iginla with their thirteenth overall choice. Thirteenth in his class according to Elite Prospects’ Consolidated Draft List. On the other hand, volatility in the top half of the draft is anticipated for the 2024 class. A winger like Iginla might go lower on the draft board because there are so many excellent defenses available, despite the fact that sites like Elite Prospects have him ranked as high as sixth in his class.
Alright, the goal totals are impressive, but if Minnesota drafts Iginla, what other outcomes can they anticipate?
Tij is that Iginla-type player they’re looking for, if they want a wrecking ball in the vein of Jarome. During his news conference at the end of the season, Bill Guerin stated, “Bigger, stronger, faster— those are nice ingredients to have.” You may now proceed.
Scott Wheeler of The Athletic says of him, “He’s an excellent skater.” His skills include the capacity to “beat you in a straight-out race, cut past you laterally with quick weight shifts, or build speed through tight crossover patterns.”
It’s no secret that a 17-year-old needs to bulk up and gain strength in order to compete in the NHL, but Iginla is already listed as 6-foot-0. Given his youth, a late growth spurt cannot be ruled out. Wheeler mentions “the emergence of a power game” to his toolkit and is excited about Tij taking up his father’s game. At six feet one, Jarome was still one of the fiercest power forwards in the league’s history, so it’s not like a guy needs to be Tage Thompson tall to perform at that level.
Especially when he’s got a shot that makes everyone think of… Regarding Elite Prospects, “Pops taught him well,” an Eastern Conference Executive informed Cam Robinson. Robinson discusses Tij’s shot in considerably more detail. He cites statistics from InStat that shows 19 games—nearly 30% of Iginla’s 64 WHL appearances—in which he shot the puck ten or more times.
Here, we’re merely grazing the surface. Iginla, according to Robinson, “does many of the little things ahead of his attempts that go into A) making sure a shot gets through to the net, and B) that it’s not easy to track for the netminder.” Even without taking into account the fact that the guy can rip the puck, the details are excellent.
Robinson adds that there’s more. He is a nightmare in transition thanks to his speed and puck control, which should one day enable him “to develop into a player who can beat defenders one-on-one at the NHL level.” Robinson rates Iginla’s puck-handling abilities even higher than his shooting. Robinson cautions any team considering passing on Iginla, saying, “He can embarrass opponents.”
In his first mock draft, which was released on Tuesday, Corey Pronman of The Athletic selected Iginla by the Wild at number thirteen overall. “He checks the skill and compete boxes Bill Guerin would be looking for,” Pronman states. Unspoken is the fact that letting Iginla walk right by them runs the risk of a worst-case situation.
It’s unlikely that Iginla will be acquired by a Central Division competitor before the Wild get a chance to try to sign him. The Utah Not-Coyotes are the only team to select before the Wild at No. 6, and it is improbable that the Chicago Blackhawks will select Iginla with the second overall choice. It would be shocking if Utah passed on Iginla for a premium position like center or defenseman.
But what if Minnesota allows Iginla to pass 13? Things start to get spooky now. For the Nashville Predators (No. 22, with a spare Juuse Saros on the block) and the St. Louis Blues (No. 16 overall), for example, that would be trade-up territory. Imagine how much more difficult it would be for the Wild to defeat Central Division opponents if they had an Iginla.