Daily Faceoff’s post-lottery 2024 mock draft has the Calgary Flames taking a familiar name

Here’s Ellis:

If the Flames pick Iginla, it’s not because of nepotism; Iginla is legitimately great. He didn’t dominate at the U-18s like many hoped but he showed how deep his game can be. Iginla is more than just a goal-scorer; he works so hard, he can defend and he has made a habit of being extremely difficult to play against. Will that all translate to the NHL? I know some aren’t totally sure. But if the marketing department has any say, they’ll make this happen.

The eldest son of longtime Flames captain Jarome Iginla, a Hockey Hall of Famer currently employed as special advisor to Flames general manager Craig Conroy, Tij Iginla is one of the youngest players in the 2024 draft class – born six weeks before the cut-off – and one of the most fascinating.

Iginla spent a season and change with the powerhouse Seattle Thunderbirds, playing most of the 2022-23 season as a 16-year-old before largely getting relegated to a secondary role down the stretch. The reason for that wasn’t so much Iginla’s performance – 18 points in 48 games for a 16-year-old rookie is quite good – but because the T-Birds (captained by Flames prospect Lucas Ciona) were trying to win a championship and loaded up on WHL stars in order to do that. It worked!

Following the season, in an effort to recoup some lost draft picks and get Iginla more playing time, Tij was sent to the Kelowna Rockets where he’s flourished this season. Beginning the season as a projected second round pick, he had 47 goals and 84 points in 64 games for Kelowna and has essentially forced his way up the consensus draft rankings as a result.

A healthy debate can be had about whether Iginla can translate what makes him so effective at the WHL level to the pros – and we’ll have that debate on the site in the coming weeks – but one thing is undeniable: the kid can flat-out score, and that makes him a really exciting young hockey player, regardless of what his namebar reads.