Originally Posted by Sandman
Draft Thoughts:
Feb.19th: In the first 37 games of the season, "C"-rated RW Joe Iginla (5'10",174lbs) was used by the Edmonton Oil Kings in all situations, with his ice-time and linemates varying, depending on the opponent; he played on each of the top-three lines, played both center or wing, and contributed to both sides of special teams. He was 8th in team scoring with 21 points (11 goals) in 32 games mid-way through December, prorated to 44 points in 68 games, but was actually held pointless in his last 7 games in Edmonton, before an early-January trade that sent him to the Vancouver Giants. Iggy suffered an upper-body injury early in his career with the Giants that kept him out of some games, but he has only managed 3 points in 9 games so far with his new team, for a grand-total of 24 points (12 goals) in 46 games on the season. Thankfully, he is quite young, with an August 13th, 2008 birthday, and has plenty of runway to develop. The youngest Iginla was drafted in the first-round of the 2023 WHL Prospects Draft by the Oil Kings, with the 12th-overall pick, but Central Scouting has pegged him #124 for North American Skaters in their Mid-Term Rankings.
Iggy started the season with 10 points in his first 11 games, but only has 4 points in his last 25- there are many who are still waiting for him to break out offensively. When he's on his game, he's a pretty well-rounded, all-around player with pro-style habits, who is known to be a very good defensive forward, and can be a pesky, grinding presence with tenacity and physicality- despite his smaller frame. He may not be a speed merchant, but he skates well enough with agility and evasiveness, shows proficiency in protecting the puck, and owns some deft one-on-one skills in the form of dekes and dangles, but he seems especially adept in finding space in traffic to unleash his hard and heavy shot. There is no fear of competing in the hard areas of the ice, and he will go to the net for chances in-tight, with soft hands to beat goalies; he is known to be a hard-working, high-motor player. In February's WHL Top Prospects Game, featuring 44 draft-eligibles split between two teams, Iggy's main contribution (other than 4 shots) was a fight against former Oil Kings' teammate Dylan Dean- which shows his heart and toughness. Iggy is hard on the puck, and wins battles along the wall, but needs to improve his pace in possession, and his consistency of intensity. Though he exhibits good hockey sense and vision, and flashes high levels of creativity, he's not known to be a playmaker- more of a shooter and finisher, with a heavy shot-volume. Older brother Tij was a bit of a late-bloomer, and had a big growth spurt leading up to his draft, so here's hoping for more of the same for Joe. With his name alone, I wouldn't be surprised if he was picked in the third, or fourth-round this summer.
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