Utah HC prospect Tij Iginla will miss remainder of the 2024-25 WHL season

Utah Hockey Club general manager Bill Armstrong announced that prospect Tij Iginla has undergone successful hip surgery and will miss the remainder of the 2024-25 Western Hockey League (WHL) season.

Iginla has been playing for the Kelowna Rockets, where he has scored 14 goals and 18 assists for 32 points in 21 games.

Utah selected Iginla with the No. 6 overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft.

Last season with the Rockets, the Lake County, British Columbia native had a breakout season, scoring 47 goals and 37 assists for 84 points in 64 games, all career highs. Iginla helped Kelowna advance to the second round of the playoffs, where they were ultimately eliminated by the Prince George Cougars. In 11 postseason games, he scored nine goals and 15 points.

In two-plus years in the WHL, which saw Iginla start with the Seattle Thunderbirds, he has scored 67 goals and 68 points in 136 games, including 16 points in 14 playoff appearances. He was on the Thunderbirds team that won the Chynoweth Cup in 2023 but did not appear in any games at the 2023 Memorial Cup in Kamloops.

Like his father, Jarome, Iginla has gained some experience playing for Team Canada. He first wore the Maple Leaf at the 2022 Under-17 World Hockey Challenge before winning gold with the Canadians at the 2024 IIHF Men’s Under-18 World Championship.