Utah Hockey Club makes Tij Iginla – son of a Hall of Famer – the first pick in franchise history

SALT LAKE CITY – “Utah is on the clock.”

That statement from Gary Bettman led to booing at the Sphere in Las Vegas (former Arizona fans? Las Vegas fans already see it as a rivalry). Back in Salt Lake City, however, the fans cheered as they watched their general manager Bill Armstrong stand up to turn in the team’s first-ever draft pick.

“This is a historic choice,” Bettman said before leaving the choice to team owners Ryan and Ashley Smith (they, too, were met with boos; Utah hasn’t played a game yet, but already seems to have some enemies).

Tij Iginla is now part of history.

The British Columbia forward became the Utah Hockey Club’s first-ever draft pick when Utah selected him sixth overall in the 2024 NHL draft.

“It’s a surreal feeling,” Iginla told ESPN. “I don’t think it’s sunk in yet, but I’m looking forward to it.”

Iginla had 47 goals and 37 assists in the WHL last season. He scored eight goals during the Kelowna Rockets’ first-round series in the 2024 WHL Playoffs, tying a franchise record for most goals in a playoff series.

He is a dynamic forward who can play both on the wing and in the center. He has great skating speed and fights hard for the puck. He has shown himself to be a creative playmaker and a natural scorer with a shoot-first mentality.

His father, Jarome, was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2020 after a 20-year career. Jarome Iginla is the Flames’ all-time leader in goals and points.

This story will be updated.