How Tij Iginla grew from hometown hero to prospective pro

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Kelowna Rockets forward Tij Iginla prepares to take a face-off in a Memorial Cup game against the Everett Silvertips at Prospera Place in Kelowna, British Columbia. | Steve Dunsmoor

Back in 2004, before his 851-game NHL career and the tens of millions of dollars that came with it, Josh Gorges was a 19-year-old kid playing hockey for his hometown junior team, the Kelowna Rockets.

The Canadian Hockey League uses a draft system, so most guys never get the chance to play at home. It’s even less common that a player leads his childhood team to the Memorial Cup, an annual tournament between the champions of the three leagues under the Canadian Hockey League umbrella.

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Given the rotating nature of the tournament, the odds are next to zero that players get to do it on their home ice.

But Gorges did.

Twenty-two years later, he found himself back in the Okanagan Valley as an assistant coach for the Rockets as they hosted the 2026 Memorial Cup for the second time. Even now, he’s still a local celebrity.

“They still talk about winning the championship here and for everyone that was in Kelowna at the time to be a part of it,” Gorges told the Deseret News in an interview on the ground floor of Prospera Place, just feet away from a mural depicting his younger self with the captain’s “C” on his chest and the trophy raised high above his head.

Gorges is one of dozens, if not hundreds of retired NHL players who call Kelowna home (though he’s one of the few born and raised there). Nestled between lakes, mountains and orchards, with fresh cherries, peaches, apples, plums and apricots for sale on every street corner, it’s hard not to fall in love with the area.

But when the Memorial Cup is in town, the beaches and hiking trails are a little less full. In turn, there’s a buzz on the streets that can only accompany a major sporting event.

The Memorial Cup is comparable to the NCAA national championship. It pits the champions of the three CHL leagues against each other and the host city automatically gets the fourth spot. The winners leave with lifelong bragging rights.

That’s a prestige Gorges carried with him throughout his 13 NHL seasons.

Although their respective profiles couldn’t be more different, Gorges sees a little bit of himself in one of his players: Utah Mammoth prospect Tij Iginla.

“We had one conversation at the very start of the year when I first came on board and had a chance to talk to all the guys,” Gorges said.

His message?

“I can’t help you with your game per se in terms of your skill set, your ability, your skating, your vision, your offensive instincts. You’ve already got more of that than I ever did. I can’t help you in that sense. But I have played at this level, I have hosted the Memorial Cup. I have won it, I have taken that jump to pro, and I do know those little things that it takes to be a champion and what it takes to become a pro.”

Iginla scored nearly two points per game this season. Hockey-wise, he’s set. But those details about being a pro will make a difference when he gets to the next level.

“Does he have NHL talent? There’s no doubt about it. You can’t question that,” Gorges said. “... But I think it comes back to just learning how to become a pro. That’ll be the thing for him, is, ‘How do I do this against the best in the world every single night consistently?’ And he’s got all the tools, so it’s just a matter of time before he’s there, no question.”

Among many other things, that’s one advantage of growing up in the Iginla household.

“You’ve got a Hall of Fame dad who’s been through there, done it, knows what to expect, knows what it takes. I’m sure Tij has been talking with him his entire life about this journey and this path that he’s on,” Gorges said.

Having done much of his growing up in Lake Country, located 22 kilometers north of Prospera Place, where the Rockets play, Iginla had the advantage of living at home while playing junior hockey. But with such proximity comes increased pressure as the hometown kid starring at the Memorial Cup.

“(Gorges), he always talks about it, how amazing it was to win here,” Iginla said. “We just got a video from a bunch of alumni that played here and won here and stuff. You can tell how much those guys treasure it. It would be really cool to make that experience.”

Each day on their way into the locker room, Iginla and his teammates observe the 22 murals on the wall, including that of Gorges. Many of those players went on to have long, successful NHL careers: Leon Draisaitl, Shea Weber, Duncan Keith and Jamie Benn, to name a few.

And it’s not out of the question that Iginla could soon join them.

The door of the Kelowna Rockets' locker room at Prospera Place, located along the wall of murals. | Brogan Houston Murals on the ground floor of Prospera Place, home of the Kelowna Rockets. From left to right: Kelly Guard, Josh Gorges. | Brogan Houston Murals on the ground floor of Prospera Place, home of the Kelowna Rockets. From left to right: Jamie Benn, Tyler Myers, Tyson Barrie, Madison Bowey, Josh Morrissey, Leon Draisaitl. | Brogan Houston Murals on the ground floor of Prospera Place, home of the Kelowna Rockets. From left to right: Shea Weber, Duncan Keith, Blake Comeau, Luke Schenn. | Brogan Houston Murals on the ground floor of Prospera Place, home of the Kelowna Rockets. From left to right: Vaclav Varada, Jason Deleurme, Scott Parker, Scott Hannan, Gavin McLeod, Ryan Cuthbert. | Brogan Houston Murals on the ground floor of Prospera Place, home of the Kelowna Rockets. From left to right: Vaclav Varada, Jason Deleurme, Scott Parker, Scott Hannan, Gavin McLeod, Ryan Cuthbert, Kelly Guard, Josh Gorges. | Brogan Houston Murals on the ground floor of Prospera Place, home of the Kelowna Rockets. From left to right: Nolan Foote, Colton Dach. | Brogan Houston Murals on the ground floor of Prospera Place, home of the Kelowna Rockets. From left to right: Cal Foote, Dillon Dubé. | Brogan Houston

‘Earning your way’ through ‘no easy days’

Iginla and his teammates internalized a pair of mottos for the tournament: “Earn your way” and “No easy days.”

As mentioned, the host team gets an automatic bid to the Memorial Cup regardless of where it finishes the season, so the Rockets felt the need to prove themselves.

“We want to still earn it and show that we belong and we want that opportunity and chance to win,” Iginla said.

But that phrase applies to Iginla on a whole other level.

As the son of one of hockey’s all-time greats, Iginla has always had a leg up over everyone around him. But a last name alone doesn’t earn you an NHL career.

Tij Iginla is “earning his way,” just as his team wanted to do.

Pittsburgh Penguins right wing Jarome Iginla, father of Utah Mammoth prospect Tij Iginla, (12) prepares for a face off in Game 1 of Stanley Cup second-round playoff series against the Ottawa Senators in Pittsburgh Tuesday, May 14, 2013. | Gene J. Puskar

“And then the other one, ‘No easy days’: We trained really hard throughout the season. Our coaches put us through hard practice, workouts, all that stuff and I think that’s just the mindset that you can’t expect any day to be easy and you just come ready to work each day,” Iginla continued.

That work ethic has paid off in the form of mass gains.

Iginla’s September weigh-in at Mammoth training camp clocked him at 6-foot, 182 pounds. His most recent WHL stat sheet has him at 6-foot-1, 195 pounds. Seeing him in person, the growth is immediately apparent.

The 2024 sixth-overall pick in the NHL draft has grown as a hockey player, too.

Despite missing nearly 30% of the Rockets’ games this season, Iginla placed sixth in WHL scoring with 90 points.

Jeff Shantz, a Mammoth development coach who works with the team’s prospects, has known the Iginla family since before Tij was even born. He spent four seasons as Calgary Flames teammates with Tij’s dad, Jarome Iginla. He even centered Jarome’s line for some time.

Tij doesn’t like to be compared to his father, but as far as work ethic goes, Shantz can’t help but see the similarities.

“Dad, when I played with him, too, was a workout fanatic,” Shantz told the Deseret News. “He was always the guy that was the most in shape, won the award every year. Tij definitely has that too and is not afraid to work hard.”

Kelowna Rockets forward Tij Iginla makes a move around Everett Silvertips defenseman Kayd Ruedig in a Memorial Cup game at Prospera Place in Kelowna, British Columbia. | Steve Dunsmoor Tij Iginla enters the offensive zone in a Memorial Cup game featuring the Kelowna Rockets and the Chicoutimi Saguenéens at Prospera Place in Kelowna, British Columbia. | Steve Dunsmoor Kelowna Rockets forward Tij Iginla carries the puck through the neutral zone in a Memorial Cup game against the Everett Silvertips at Prospera Place in Kelowna, British Columbia. | Steve Dunsmoor Kelowna Rockets forward Tij Iginla prepares to take a face-off in a Memorial Cup game against the Everett Silvertips at Prospera Place in Kelowna, British Columbia. | Steve Dunsmoor The Kelowna Rockets skate out of the Ogo-pogo inflatable ahead of a Memorial Cup game against the Chicoutimi Saguenéens at Prospera Place in Kelowna, British Columbia. | STEVE DUNSMOOR Kitchener Rangers defenseman Andrew MacNiel pins Kelowna Rockets forward Tij Iginla against the boards in a Memorial Cup game at Prospera Place in Kelowna, British Columbia. | STEVE DUNSMOOR Kelowna Rockets forward Tij Iginla takes a face-off against Everett Silvertips forward Julius Miettinen in a Memorial Cup game at Prospera Place in Kelowna, British Columbia. | Steve Dunsmoor Kelowna Rockets forward Tij Iginla makes a pass in a Memorial Cup game against the Everett Silvertips at Prospera Place in Kelowna, British Columbia. | Steve Dunsmoor Kelowna Rockets forward Tij Iginla bodies Everett Silvertips forward Carter Bear in a Memorial Cup game at Prospera Place in Kelowna, British Columbia. | Steve Dunsmoor Tij Iginla warms up ahead of a Memorial Cup game against the Chicoutimi Saguenéens at Prospera Place in Kelowna, British Columbia. | Steve Dunsmoor Kelowna Rockets forward Tij Iginla answers questions at the podium after a loss to the Everett Silvertips at the Memorial Cup at Prospera Place in Kelowna, British Columbia. | Steve Dunsmoor Kelowna Rockets forward Tij Iginla warms up ahead of a Memorial Cup game against the Everett Silvertips at Prospera Place in Kelowna, British Columbia. | Steve Dunsmoor Kelowna Rockets forward Tij Iginla warms up ahead of a Memorial Cup game against the Everett Silvertips at Prospera Place in Kelowna, British Columbia. | Steve Dunsmoor Tij Iginla and Kelowna Rockets teammates warm up ahead of a Memorial Cup game against the Kitchener Rangers at Prospera Place in Kelowna, British Columbia. | STEVE DUNSMOOR Kelowna Rockets forwards Tij Iginla and Carson Wetsch and head coach Derrick Martin answer questions at the podium after a loss to the Everett Silvertips at the Memorial Cup at Prospera Place in Kelowna, British Columbia. | Steve Dunsmoor Kelowna Rockets forward Tij Iginla bodies Everett Silvertips forward Carter Bear in a Memorial Cup game at Prospera Place in Kelowna, British Columbia. | Steve Dunsmoor Hiroki Gojsic and Tij Iginla stand with a local hockey player for the national anthem ahead of the Kelowna Rockets' Memorial Cup game against the Chicoutimi Saguenéens at Prospera Place in Kelowna, British Columbia. | Steve Dunsmoor Tij Iginla converses with Kelowna Rockets teammates Vojtěch Čihař and Mazden Leslie during a Memorial Cup game against the Kitchener Rangers at Prospera Place in Kelowna, British Columbia. | STEVE DUNSMOOR Kelowna Rockets players celebrate a goal against the Chicoutimi Saguenéens in a Memorial Cup game at Prospera Place in Kelowna, British Columbia. | Steve Dunsmoor Kelowna Rockets forward Tij Iginla warms up ahead of a Memorial Cup game against the Everett Silvertips at Prospera Place in Kelowna, British Columbia. | Steve Dunsmoor Kelowna Rockets forward Tij Iginla avoids a check from Kitchener Rangers defenseman Matthew Andonovski in a Memorial Cup game at Prospera Place in Kelowna, British Columbia. | STEVE DUNSMOOR Tij Iginla surveys his options in a Memorial Cup game against the Chicoutimi Saguenéens at Prospera Place in Kelowna, British Columbia. | STEVE DUNSMOOR Tij Iginla of the Kelowna Rockets takes a face-off against Dylan Edwards of the Kitchener Rangers in a Memorial Cup game at Prospera Place in Kelowna, British Columbia. | STEVE DUNSMOOR Kelowna Rockets forward Tij Iginla awaits a pass in a Memorial Cup game against the Kitchener Rangers at Prospera Place in Kelowna, British Columbia. | STEVE DUNSMOOR Kelowna Rockets forward Tij Iginla warms up ahead of a Memorial Cup game against the Chicoutimi Saguenéens at Prospera Place in Kelowna, British Columbia. | Steve Dunsmoor Kelowna Rockets forward Tij Iginla makes a move around Chicoutimi Saguenéens defenseman Alex Huang in a Memorial Cup game at Prospera Place in Kelowna, British Columbia. | Steve Dunsmoor Kelowna Rockets forward Tij Iginla tries to get through a pair of Kitchener Rangers players in a Memorial Cup game at Prospera Place in Kelowna, British Columbia. | STEVE DUNSMOOR Tij Iginla and the Kelowna Rockets face the Chicoutimi Saguenéens at the Memorial Cup at Prospera Place in Kelowna, British Columbia. | Steve Dunsmoor Tij Iginla, Derrick Martin and Mazden Leslie answer questions in a post-game press conference following the Kelowna Rockets' 3-2 overtime loss to the Chicoutimi Saguenéens at the Memorial Cup at Prospera Place in Kelowna, British Columbia. | Steve Dunsmoor Tij Iginla warms up ahead of the Kelowna Rockets' Memorial Cup game against the Chicoutimi Saguenéens at Prospera Place in Kelowna, British Columbia. | Steve Dunsmoor Tij Iginla answers questions at a press conference after the Kelowna Rockets' 3-2 overtime loss to the Chicoutimi Saguenéens at the Memorial Cup at Prospera Place in Kelowna, British Columbia. | Steve Dunsmoor

A major part of Tij’s game with which Shantz has helped him this season is playing center. The team drafted him as a winger, but he has spent the season developing his talents in the middle.

To the average spectator, the two positions seem similar. But those who play at a high level always point out the extra responsibility that centers have — specifically in the face-off circle and the defensive zone.

Regardless of whether Iginla becomes a full-time center in the NHL, Mammoth GM Bill Armstrong is thrilled that he has developed that facet of hit game.

“Knowing how to take draws is a huge thing,” Armstrong told the Deseret News in a phone interview. “If he’s on the wing or he’s playing center for us, it’s definitely a benefit to his game and he’s going to help us become a championship team.”

Shantz shared some of the specific aspects of the center-ice position that he and Iginla have worked on this season.

“If you support the puck the right way, you usually get control of the puck yourself more, so you have the puck more often and then you’re able to make plays from there,” Shantz explained. “And then, like I said, you don’t have to play defense.

“He’s very keen and (has) lots of questions. He’s not a pushover,” Shantz said.

Utah Mammoth development coach Jeff Shantz of Tij Iginla

“It took a little while to kind of convince him of that, but once it did, then it kind of switched and he loves playing the position now because he has the puck all the time. And exiting out of his zone, he gets to do what he wants to do with it. Instead of waiting for somebody to pass him the puck, he’s the guy that gets to make the plays what he wants to do.”

The work seems to be paying off. Watching the Rockets’ three Memorial Cup games in late May, Iginla’s transition game, which Shantz mentioned, seemed to be one of his greatest assets.

One thing Shantz and Armstrong both enjoy about working with Iginla is that he does not take everything at face value.

“He’s very keen and (has) lots of questions. He’s not a pushover,” Shantz said. “He’s not afraid to say, ‘Well, this is why I want to do it that way instead of this,’ right? So, we have good dialogue and good conversation.”

“He’s an inquisitive kid. He’s always trying to get better,” Armstrong added. “The thing that you love about him is he’s never happy. Like, he’s always pushing to get better at something. I think that he can just really drive the bus in a lot of different areas.”

Some elite players, Armstrong said, cruise through their latter years of junior hockey scoring at will but not really striving for improvement. Iginla is not wired that way.

“He challenged himself,” Armstrong said. “He got into a new position and not only did he generate points, but he worked on his face-offs. He learned to be better defensively. It just wasn’t a year where he just went through the motions and was just an older player getting points.

“He was a player that played a different position. He learned and he got better at it every single game and helped drive his team as far as they could go, and now he’s going to take that knowledge and move into being a pro — and it’s going to pay dividends.”

Will Tij Iginla turn pro next season?

The plan is for Iginla to turn pro next season.

Whether that’s with the Mammoth or their minor-league affiliate, the Tucson Roadrunners, largely hinges on what he can accomplish over the summer and how well he proves himself at training camp in the fall.

“He’s done all he can do at the junior level and here, he’s going to have that opportunity to go pro and see if he can make the big club,” Armstrong said. “He needs to have a big summer of training and he’s going to have an opportunity.”

Shantz agrees.

“Stature-wise, physically, he’s strong enough,” he said. “He’s put in the work there, too, that I don’t think he has an issue moving up into pro. And quite frankly, I think skill-wise, he’s good enough on that side. Shoots the puck well, you know, he’s good at getting to the net, skates well enough. ... All of that stuff to me says, next year the next step for him for sure is pro.”

It’s long been said that the NHL is not a development league, so if Armstrong and his staff believe Iginla still has some growing to do — whether physically or hockey-wise — they could start him with the Roadrunners and call him up periodically, not unlike what they’ve done with Dylan Guenther, Maveric Lamoureux, Daniil But and Dmitri Simashev in recent years.

The Roadrunners use the same systems as the Mammoth to make the transition easier for players who move on to the NHL.

Utah Mammoth General Manager Bill Armstrong speaks with media at a press conference discussing the 2025 NHL Draft, at the Asher Adams Hotel in Salt Lake City on Friday, June 27, 2025. | Brice Tucker, Deseret News

“I think some of the things that work in junior don’t necessarily work in pro. He’s definitely got to figure that out, and that takes a little bit of an adjustment time,” Armstrong said.

“The harder you train, the harder you work in the summer, the smarter you do that, the better chance you get to figure it out quicker. So he’s going to come into camp and see if he can make our team. That’s an exciting moment.”

What happened at the Memorial Cup?

Despite their intentions to “earn (their) way,” Iginla’s Rockets proved to be in over their heads at the Memorial Cup.

They scored just two goals in their three games — one off Iginla’s stick and the other as a direct result of his positioning.

As one might imagine, Iginla was anything but satisfied. Yet, even moments after the loss, he was thinking about how to prevent this situation in the future.

“For me, just, I guess, not making the most of the opportunity,” he said when asked what he’d remember about the tournament. “I think that’ll be something that gives me motivation for a while.”

Regardless of what happens beyond this season, Iginla will always cherish his time playing at home.

“It’s been great playing here,” he said. “When I was 16 and got traded here, I was so excited to come here and play in Kelowna, play at home, and it’s lived up to what I imagined it could be. It’s a great organization, great people and an amazing place, amazing fans, so I’ve loved getting to play here.”

Kelowna Rockets forward Tij Iginla takes a face-off against Everett Silvertips forward Julius Miettinen in a Memorial Cup game at Prospera Place in Kelowna, British Columbia. | Steve Dunsmoor

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