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Draft: Jarome Iginla stays away when the subject concerns his son

 Emily Smith
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Draft: Jarome Iginla stays away when the subject concerns his son
Credit: Photo by Dale Preston/Getty Images

There’s a lot of speculation surrounding the upcoming NHL amateur draft.

Aside from Macklin Celebrini’s selection at #1, the rest of the rankings vary widely among experts.

We recently learned that the Chicago Blackhawks’ pick (2nd) is becoming increasingly solid, with many experts seeing the franchise selecting defenseman Artyom Levshunov.

However, the option of selecting Ivan Demidov is still on the table for the Hawks. A duo of Connor Bedard and Demidov would be absolutely incredible.

As for the Montreal Canadiens, we know they want to bulk up on offense and add an element to fill out the top-6, but everything will depend on picks 2 to 4.

Many see Tij Iginla linked to the Habs, as he seems to be well liked by the organization, but picking him fifth seems like a big reach.

That’s why experts like Corey Pronman and Scott Wheeler of The Athletic rank him outside the top-12, at 13th and 15th respectively.

In my opinion, it would be very surprising to see Jarome Iginla’s son slip so low, especially considering that his father works as an advisor to the general manager of the Calgary Flames.

And the Flames are drafting 9th this summer.

On the other hand, Jarome Iginla makes it clear that he prefers not to participate in draft discussions when the subject concerns his son.

“They must be comfortable talking about it honestly. It’s not pleasant to hear about your son, one way or another. When it’s Zoom discussions, I leave the conversation, and if it’s in person, I just leave the room. I know that as a father you only say positive things.” – Jarome Iginla

Obviously, the logical choice for the Flames would be to select Tij, but for that to happen, he has to be available.

Knowing that the Tricolore is talking to the fifth-ranked team and who is interested in the Kelowna Rocket forward, this could complicate things for the Flames.

The city of Calgary seems to want to see the young forward selected by Calgary, and this warms Jarome’s heart.

That’swhat he told The Athletic.

Also in this interview with The Athletic, Jarome mentioned that although his son can play on the wing, he would be more comfortable playing center since it’s his natural position.

What could cause a drop in the rankings would be the fact that he really failed to dominate in his first two years in junior with the Seattle Thunderbirds.

He scored just 18 points in 48 games last year, but it must be said that his playing time was very limited, as the Thunderbirds were very well-endowed.

Also, Jarome reports that he often played on the wing during his time with Seattle.

With quality playing time, Tij proved this season that he’s much more than just a feisty forward. He amassed 84 points, including 47 goals, in 64 games.

He also proved his effectiveness in the playoffs with nine goals and six assists in 11 games.

Talented players like him, with such an effective shot and a desire to give 100% every time they play, don’t come along very often.

Let’s just say that if the Habs decide to set their sights on Tij Iginla, I’d be very happy, because he’d fit in well with the team’s culture, which is based, among other things, on merit and hard work.

Iginla could be a very interesting piece in the top-6 and would be a great complement to Kirby Dach.


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