Tij Iginla is a Canadian forward in the Utah Mammoth organization, drafted sixth overall in 2024 as the franchise’s first-ever pick. He is the son of Hall of Famer Jarome Iginla. After surgery on both hips, he scored 90 points in 48 games for the Kelowna Rockets in 2025-26.
| Fast facts: Tij Iginla | |
|---|---|
| Current team | Utah Mammoth. AHL affiliate: Tucson Roadrunners |
| Position | Centre, also left wing |
| Shoots | Left |
| Born | 4 August 2006, Kelowna, British Columbia. Hometown: Lake Country |
| Height / weight | 6’0″ / 182 lbs, per NHL.com |
| Drafted | 2024, first round, 6th overall, Utah Hockey Club (now Utah Mammoth) |
| Contract status | Three-year entry-level contract signed 11 July 2024. It slid twice and runs from 2026-27 through 2028-29 at a $941,667 cap hit |
| Jersey | No. 77 at Utah’s 2026 rookie camp |
Is Tij Iginla related to Jarome Iginla?
Yes. Tij Iginla is the son of Jarome Iginla, who played 1,554 NHL games, scored 625 goals and 1,300 points, and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2020. He won the Art Ross Trophy in 2002 and the Rocket Richard Trophy in 2002 and 2004, and he holds Calgary’s franchise records for goals and points, won Olympic gold in 2002 and 2010, and never won the Stanley Cup. Dallas drafted Jarome 11th overall in 1995, so Tij went five spots higher than his father.
Jarome is a special advisor with the Calgary Flames and has no role with Utah. “He is probably a better skater than I was,” he told RocketFAN about his son.
What are Tij Iginla’s career stats?
Tij Iginla played for the RINK Hockey Academy in Kelowna before starting his WHL career with the Seattle Thunderbirds, who won the league title in 2023.
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | P |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021-22 | RINK Hockey Academy U18 | CSSHL | 32 | 26 | 22 | 48 |
| 2021-22 | Seattle Thunderbirds | WHL | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 2022-23 | Seattle Thunderbirds | WHL | 48 | 6 | 12 | 18 |
| 2023-24 | Kelowna Rockets | WHL | 64 | 47 | 37 | 84 |
| 2024-25 | Kelowna Rockets | WHL | 21 | 14 | 18 | 32 |
| 2025-26 | Kelowna Rockets | WHL | 48 | 41 | 49 | 90 |
Seattle traded him to Kelowna on 7 June 2023 for a first-round pick, a second-round pick and forward Grady Lenton. His 47 goals in 2023-24 were tied for sixth in the WHL. In 2025-26 he was the WHL’s player of the month for November, his 1.88 points a game led all WHL skaters, and he was named to the CHL Second All-Star Team and was a finalist for the Four Broncos Trophy as WHL player of the year. He added 15 points in 11 playoff games in 2024 and 12 in nine in 2026. Kelowna hosted the 2026 Memorial Cup but lost all three games. Across his three seasons in Kelowna he scored 206 points in 133 games, 1.55 a game.
Why did Tij Iginla have hip surgery?
Tij Iginla had surgery on his right hip on 4 December 2024, which ended his 2024-25 season, and on his left hip on 20 January 2025. “It’s basically just from overuse over the years. Hockey is hard on the hips,” he told NHL.com. By September 2025 he said he was all clear, and he played three preseason games for Utah before returning to Kelowna for 2025-26.
Where is Tij Iginla playing in 2026-27?
Going into 2026-27 training camp, Tij Iginla was competing for a place on Utah’s NHL roster. He attended rookie camp from 11 September, followed by the Rookie Faceoff tournament in San Jose, and NHL.com ranked him as Utah’s top prospect. He had scored a hat trick in the scrimmage at Utah’s 2026 development camp, The Hockey News reported. Because he turned 20 in August 2026, he can also play for Tucson in the AHL, or return to Kelowna as an overage player. Bill Armstrong, the general manager who drafted him, is still in charge, and Caleb Desnoyers, the fourth overall pick in 2025, is among the young forwards pushing for a spot. “My goal is definitely to make the team,” Iginla told NHL.com in July 2026.
The channels and streams for every Mammoth game are in our guide to how to watch the Utah Mammoth.
Is Tij Iginla a centre?
Tij Iginla is listed as a centre by NHL.com. He played on the wing earlier in his junior career and moved to centre during 2025-26, according to the Deseret News, and several databases still list him at left wing. He shoots left.
What is Tij Iginla’s contract?
Tij Iginla signed a three-year entry-level contract with Utah on 11 July 2024, originally at a $975,000 cap hit. Because he played in the WHL in 2024-25 and 2025-26, the deal slid forward twice. It now runs from 2026-27 through 2028-29 at a $941,667 cap hit, and he is due to become a restricted free agent in 2029, according to PuckPedia’s contract data.
Who are Tij Iginla’s brother and sister?
Tij Iginla’s mother is Kara Iginla. His sister, Jade, who played for Canada at under-18 level, captained Brown University for two seasons and was drafted 18th overall by PWHL Hamilton in June 2026. His younger brother, Joe, is a forward with the Vancouver Giants, and the Calgary Flames drafted him 65th overall in 2026, the club their father played for. We covered Joe Iginla’s first WHL goal in 2023.
The family also billeted defenceman Keaton Verhoeff while he attended the RINK Hockey Academy.
Has Tij Iginla played for Team Canada?
Yes. Tij Iginla won gold at the 2024 U18 World Championship in Espoo with 12 points in seven games, including a goal in the 6-4 final against the United States. He won bronze at the 2026 World Juniors with eight points in seven games, scoring in the semi-final loss to Czechia before Canada beat Finland 6-3 for bronze. Jarome won the same tournament in 1996, making the Iginlas one of Hockey Canada’s father-son pairs at the World Juniors.
He also won silver at the World U-17 Hockey Challenge in the 2022-23 season. He missed the 2025 World Juniors while recovering from his first hip surgery.
Where is Tij Iginla from, and how tall is he?
Tij Iginla was born on 4 August 2006 in Kelowna, British Columbia, according to NHL.com. Utah and the WHL give his hometown as Lake Country, a town about 22 kilometres north of Kelowna. He was not born in Boston. His Boston link is from youth hockey, with the Boston Jr. Eagles at the Quebec International Pee-Wee Tournament in 2018-19. NHL.com lists him at 6’0″ and 182 lbs.
Yes — he is Jarome’s son. Jarome Iginla is a Hockey Hall of Famer who played 1,554 NHL games and scored 625 goals for Calgary, Pittsburgh, Boston, Colorado and Los Angeles.
Yes, on both hips, for femoroacetabular impingement — the right on December 4, 2024 and the left on January 20, 2025. The surgeries ended his 2024-25 season after 21 games. He was declared fully cleared in September 2025 and returned to put up 90 points in 48 games.
Two. His older sister Jade captained Brown University and was drafted 18th overall by PWHL Hamilton in 2026. His younger brother Joe was drafted 65th overall by the Calgary Flames in 2026.
Lake Country, British Columbia, just north of Kelowna — which is how he ended up playing for the hometown Rockets after being drafted by Seattle.
