Tij Iginla game breakdown

I dove deeper into his February 7th performance against the Victoria Royals.

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Lost in all the noise surrounding the New Jersey Devils’ search for a new head coach is that the team is officially slated to pick 10th in this year’s draft.

While GM Tom Fitzgerald is at least open to the possibility of using the pick in a trade, the reality is that high picks rarely end up being dealt. Understandably so.

The potential of adding an impact player to the organization who will cost pennies for three NHL seasons is simply too hard to let go.

With that in mind, I’m going to be doing plenty of prospect breakdowns on draft candidates with the 10th overall pick.

We’ll start with Tij Iginla, who will naturally be chosen by the Calgary Flames – where Jarome now works – one pick in front of the Devils.

This breakdown will come from a regular season game against Victoria (feel free to watch below).

The Good

• Iginla displayed a good feel for finding space in the offensive zone. On the power play, he often roamed high and attacked blind spots when defenders would turn their attention to the puck carrier. He posted up in the high slot (2:20) and quickly made an excellent pass to create a dangerous one-timer from the right hash. Shortly after he made himself available in the same spot before attacking the net, taking a shot, and banging in his own rebound. Both chances started with Iginla finding space and making it easy for his teammates to get him the puck.

• Iginla’s soft hands and ability to navigate his way through traffic was very evident. On the first PP he received a pass with a Royals player directly behind and in front of him. He stickhandled his way out of trouble before relieving pressure by making a pass to a teammate and stepping in the way of the closest defender to give said teammate more space to find a lane. Shortly after (2:40) he accepted a pass, spun one way, skated through a heavy stick check the other, and then quickly scooped up his own rebound after taking a shot. It was on his stick and off it in a blink.

• Scoring goals is Iginla’s calling card but he can really pass and think the game. He danced his way across the high slot (5:40) but no lane to the net opened up due to three(!) Royals forwards pushing out. Iginla drew them all in and made a nice cross-ice feed behind all three players before darting to the hashmarks and making himself available for a return feed. Nothing ended up coming of the play as Iginla bobbled the pass but it was a high IQ play that easily could’ve led to a dangerous chance.