UHC’s Tij Iginla To Make Preseason NHL Debut On Sunday Against Avalanche

Sep 29, 2024, 11:35 AM

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SALT LAKE CITY – After becoming the first draft selection in franchise history this past summer, 2024 No. 6 overall pick Tij Iginla will make his first ever preseason debut with the Utah Hockey Club on Sunday against the Colorado Avalanche.

Tij Iginla’s preseason debut for the Utah Hockey Club

While it’s been an unusual few weeks for Iginla during his first NHL training camp, he will finally put on Utah’s sweater for the first time against the Colorado Avalanche in a preseason game in Denver, CO.

Due to a lower-body injury, the talented prospect was sidelined during the entirety of rookie camp and the rookie faceoff tournament, leaving a lot of fans disappointed.

However, following a return to training camp this past week and several excellent performances during multiple practice sessions, Iginla will lace up his skates and rep the mountain blue for the Wasatch Front Faithful against their Rocky Mountain Rival

Iginla is honored to dress for the Utah Hockey Club

Upon returning to training camp, Iginla was thrilled to be back on the ice and shared what it would mean to make his preseason debut for the club this year.

“It would mean a lot,” Iginla said. “Obviously there’s your NHL regular season debut, but preseason it would be pretty spectacular too. I got the privilege of watching the one at the Delta Center the other day and it looks like some really good hockey. Fast, physical, obviously it’s the NHL so it would be a huge honor.”

Now stepping into his first NHL preseason game, Iginla will have an opportunity to measure his skills against some the league’s premier talent.

If he does well it may give the coaches a better idea of how close he is to a regular season debut. But for now, it’s anticipated that he’ll return to his junior squad in the WHL following camp.

Utah’s Tij Iginla

Iginla is an 18-year-old forward from Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada. Before joining his local WHL team, Iginla was drafted ninth overall by the Seattle Thunderbirds where he spent two seasons prior to being traded to the Kelowna Rockets.

The trade to Kelowna was pivotal in Iginla’s journey to the NHL Draft as he flourished for the Rockets. In 64 appearances, Iginla absolutely scorched opposing nets with 47 goals and 37 assists.

This caught the attention of numerous NHL scouts and Iginla skyrocketed up draft boards from a second or third-round projection to a first-round pick.

Full Story: Utah Hockey Club Prospect Profiles: Tij Iginla

Utah Hockey Club Schedule

The Utah Hockey Club will continue their preseason against the Colorado Avalanche on Sunday night at Ball Arena. The game can be viewed on SEG+. Fans can also tune in on air on the KSL Sports APP or on 97.5 and 1280 The Zone.  Click here for the full schedule.

Cole Bagley is the Utah Hockey Club insider for KSL Sports. Keep up with him on X here. You can hear Cole break down the team on KSL Sports Zone and KSL 5 TV.

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UHC’s Tij Iginla To Make Preseason NHL Debut On Sunday Against Avalanche