By Regan Bartel

Tij Iginla has been acquired in a trade

Rockets trade for NHL Hockey Hall of Famer’s son

Jun 7, 2023 | 10:00 AM

Tij (short for Tijani) Iginla played in only three playoff games for the Seattle Thunderbirds in their quest for the Western Hockey League championship and appearance in the 2023 Memorial Cup.

All three were against the Kelowna Rockets in a four-game opening-round sweep.

The 16-year-old, who doesn’t turn 17 until August 1st, has now been traded to the Rockets for a first-round WHL Prospects Pick, a second-rounder, along with forward Grady Lenton.

Iginla, the son of ex-NHLer Jarome Iginla, was chosen in the opening round, ninth overall by the T-Birds in the 2021 WHL Prospects Draft, a year where the Rockets didn’t have a selection until the third round when they chose d-man Gabriel Gilbault with the 61st pick overall.

Iginla’s younger brother, Joe, was chosen in the opening round (12th overall) of the 2023 WHL Prospects Draft by the Edmonton Oil Kings.

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While father, Jarome, and younger sibling, Joe, shoot right, Tij shoots surprisingly from his left side.

Regan’s Take: The Rockets’ recovery process is in high gear as the front office deals with a massive wound left from the trading of four first-round prospect picks in an effort to build a contender for the 2020 Memorial Cup, which in the end was snuffed out due to the COVID-19 pandemic. With only one first-round selection (Andrew Cristall in 2020), icing teams with players chosen deeper in subsequent drafts has reared its ugly head. Addressing the need to acquire younger, higher-end skilled players is a must, and the team has done that here with the acquisition of Iginla. The trade partner is again the Seattle Thunderbirds, a team the Rockets surrendered three-first round picks in two separate deals, one including Jake Lee, Dillon Hamaliuk and Cole Schwebius, the other with the acquisition of Matthew Wedman. The team also didn’t have a 2021 first-round pick after dealing it away in the Conner MacDonald deal with the Edmonton Oil Kings. The Rockets still have a 2024 first-round selection though, after acquiring it in a trade that sent Colton Dach to the T-Birds in January. This marks the second time the team has a player who’s father played in the NHL, following in the footsteps of Cal and Nolan Foote, who’s father, Adam, played 1154 games with Quebec, Colorado and Columbus. 

Iginla, who calls Lake Country home after playing at Kelowna-based RINK Hockey Academy, dressed in 48 games with a stacked T-Birds team this past season, scoring six times and collecting 18 points.

The 6’0, 181-pound winger is another young piece the team has acquired after making a trade with the Victoria Royals late last month for 17-year-old forward Hiroki Gojsic.

General Manager Bruce Hamilton stated in a press release at the time that Gojsic would play with the team’s best players, which would lead to speculation that Gojsic could centre a line with Andrew Cristall on one wing and Iginla on the other.

Grady Lenton was the Rockets eighth-round selection in the 2020 draft, collecting four goals and eight points in 59 games last season.