The Philadelphia Flyers own the 12th overall selection in the 2024 NHL Entry Draft. It’s their first of two in the first round.
Daniel Brière could add a forward and a defenseman in the first round. Which will be the priority? At Flyers Nation, we’ve covered a handful of prospects, including forwards (Eiserman and Catton) and defensemen (Parekh and Dickinson).
At the 2024 NHL Entry Draft, the presumed order of selections rarely goes as expected. An example could be Tij Iginla. Many believe the Calgary Flames will select him. That makes sense. Iginla would be a legacy selection for the franchise.
“It sounds like it would be a lot of fun, and [it would] be a cool opportunity. Obviously, I don’t know exactly how things are going to shake out, and I try not to speculate too much, but I know that they’re [the Calgary Flames] there at pick nine, or whatever it is. We’ll just have to see how it goes. That would be definitely pretty cool.” – Tij Iginla; 5/30/2024
However, would he be the best selection for the Flames?
Iginla has family ties to Calgary. However, many scouts representing other teams have taken copious notes on the forward prospect. With the 9th overall selection, the Flames could select the best available forward instead of a legacy prospect. Catton and Eiserman are arguably as good as Iginla. All it takes is a shift of plans, and then Philadelphia re-evaluates the available prospects, happy with their potential pick at 12th overall.
Tij Iginla
Recently, Dan Hilferty and Keith Jones cited in their 2024 exit interviews how they’ve intently watched and studied the Florida Panthers. Last season, the Panthers were one of the hardest-checking teams in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. In consecutive Stanley Cup Finals appearances, Florida hasn’t changed their formula and approach.
Why does that matter when concerning Iginla? It matters because he fits the John Tortorella mold: leading his team into the battle, initiating a physical style, and forechecking effectively.
In 2023-2024, Iginla produced with the puck, too. He averaged more than a point-per-game pace in the regular season (64GP; 47G, 37A) and postseason (11GP; 9G, 6A) with the Kelowna Rockets. Then, he did it again at the U18 World Juniors with Canada (7GP; 6G, 6A). Iginla was a first-team all-star in the WHL this season while representing Canada and claiming a gold medal at the U18 World Juniors.
A goal scorer, Iginla demonstrates solid offensive awareness and notable shooting accuracy, complementing his defensive awareness as a valuable two-way center.
NHL Fit/Comparables
Iginla could find himself in the Flyers’ top six. A current NHL comparable would be Brandon Hagel of the Tampa Bay Lightning: a goal-scoring point producer who excels at even-strength hockey.
Stylistically, Iginla displays patience in the slot, taking positioning away from defenders while anticipating passes. His wrist shot exhibits a quick release, making him sneaky and deadly against goaltenders in the offensive zone. Iginla finds open areas with relative ease, making him an effective goal-scorer instead of a prospect with a good shot.
His father, Jarome, was selected 11th overall by the Dallas Stars in 1995. Tij could be selected in the top ten of the 2024 NHL Entry Draft, but it wouldn’t shock the system if Philadelphia had an opportunity to snag him with the 12th overall pick.
