Utah Hockey Club Selects Iginla as First-Ever Draft Pick
Armstrong selects Beaudoin at 24; Utah owns 10 picks on Saturday
LAS VEGAS — The newest NHL franchise is already peppered with legendary names.
The Utah Hockey Club made its first-ever picks at the NHL Draft on Friday, selecting 17-year-old Tij Iginla with the sixth overall selection before also trading up to select Cole Beaudoin 24th. Iginla is the son of NHL Hall of Fame forward Jarome Iginla, who recorded 1,300 points on 625 goals and 675 assists in 1,554 combined games with the Calgary Flames, Colorado Avalanche, Pittsburgh Penguins, Boston Bruins, and Los Angeles Kings.
Tij shared a hug with his father after owners Ryan and Ashley Smith announced his name as the first official draft selection of the Utah Hockey Club.
“I don’t think it’s fully sunken in yet, but I’m super excited,” Iginla said. “It’s a huge honor. It would have been surreal to hear your name called by any team, but to be the first pick of a franchise is really cool as well.”
Iginla was named to the WHL’s First All-Star Team (B.C. Division) this past season after recording 47 goals and 37 assists in 64 games with the Kelowna Rockets last season, leading the team in goals while ranking second overall in scoring. He notched 15 points in 11 playoff games.
The talented forward was one of three 16-year-olds to play for the Seattle Thunderbirds in 2022-23, where he skated alongside Utah forward Dylan Guenther.
Iginla said Guenther called him via FaceTime following his selection on Friday, and he enjoyed the time spent alongside him in the Emerald City.
“It was cool to get to learn from him,” Iginla said. “He’s a really good player, and a really good guy as well.”
Utah Hockey Club General Manager Bill Armstrong said Iginla is an “unbelievable kid.”
“He’s just a hockey player inside and out,” Armstrong said. “We really loved him not only as a person, but as a player. He has everything we like.”
Iginla is the second easily recognizable name on the Utah Hockey Club’s roster, as Josh Doan, son of Shane Doan, is an up-and-coming player who made his NHL debut with the Arizona Coyotes last season.
“We’re going to have Doaner and him dressed beside each other,” Armstrong said. "Two great hockey families with a lot of character. It’s a special day for us.”
Armstrong Trades Up For Additional First-Round Pick
Utah selected once more on Friday, trading a 2024 second-rounder, a 2024 third-rounder, and a 2025 second-rounder to the Colorado Avalanche for the 24th overall selection. Armstrong and his staff then selected Beaudoin from the WHL’s Barrie Colts.
The 18-year-old Beaudoin starred with the Colts last season, notching 28 goals and 34 assists in 67 games, and has become known for his tough-nosed style of play and dedicated work ethic.
“Every time we went and watched Barrie play, he was one of the best players, if not the best player on the ice,” Utah Director of Amateur Scouting Darryl Plandowski said. “We probably saw him 40 or 50 times, and almost every time he was the hardest working guy, he’s got good size, and you end up walking away saying he’s the best player on the ice.”
A native of Kanata, Ontario, Beaudoin said his style of play stems from his workout regimen off the ice.
“That’s in the summertime just training,” he said. “Doing my mobility, doing my yoga, all that kind of stuff, so that when the game comes along I’m able to play my hard-nosed game, and get in those corners, use my big body and my frame.”
Given his size (6-foot-2, 209 pounds), Beaudoin uses his frame to win battles along the boards with a physically imposing style of play. He said he’s still working to improve the skill areas of the games, such as puck handling.
Beaudoin’s father, Eric, played 53 games in the NHL from 2001-2004, notching 11 points over that span.
“His work ethic and how he plays the game, I do believe that he is going to be a huge piece of our culture in how he attacks every moment of the game with work ethic,” Armstrong said. "He is an impressive kid. He’s built like a Utah player should be built.”
Despite trading two picks from Saturday’s festivities, Armstrong and his staff still own 10 selections on Day 2, including two each in both the second and third rounds.
The organization has made a plethora of draft picks over the last three seasons — including seven combined first-round selections over that span — and shows no signs of slowing down with plenty of assets remaining this year and beyond.
“It’s like Christmas for scouts,” Plandowski said. “We’ve asked Bill to do certain things and he’s delivered. Bill’s background is in scouting, so he knows we’re going to build a team, it’s got to be through youth and the draft, and Ryan and I have been spoiled. Our scouts have been spoiled.”
Be sure to follow Patrick Brown (@pbrownhockey) on X to get live updates from Day 2 of the NHL Draft in Las Vegas.