CALGARY — Thirty-one years after his father competed in the same, world-renowned U-18 tourney, there stands Joe Iginla, talking about the similarities between his game and that of his Hall of Fame dad.
“I like to think I’m a goal scorer,” beams the personable 15-year-old right winger with RINK Hockey Academy Kelowna, who bears an uncanny resemblance to his father and coach, Jarome.
“Pretty fast — kind of like my dad, but not exactly.
“I like to shoot, but I think I have a little bit more of a passing mentality.”
Having just opened the Circle K Classic U-18 tournament (formerly the Mac’s Midget tourney) with a 5-0 loss to the Phoenix Jr. Coyotes that saw him bounce up after taking several hellacious hits, he’s asked if he possesses the ruggedness that separated dad from other superstars.
“I think I do,” smiled the five-foot-10, 157-pound prospect.
“I’ll be looking to get some fighting lessons from (dad) next year.
“I’m gunning for a few fights next year, maybe one or two.
“I’ve got to get rid of the cage.”
Making headlines recently by scoring a goal and adding an assist in two emergency call-ups with the Edmonton Oil Kings, Joe is limited to just five more underage WHL appearances this year.
Drafted 12th overall by the Oil Kings last spring, next year he’ll undoubtedly join his brother, Tij, as a full-time western leaguer, where you can bet the name on his back will attract plenty of attention from scouts, not to mention opponents looking to test his mettle.
“It shook me up, but you’ve got to get up,” said Joe of a few big blasts he absorbed, including an early headshot that drew a double minor.
“I pride myself not to stay down.”
Sounds like he’s learned a thing or two from his Pops, whose rough-and-tumble approach led to 76 NHL scraps.
“Oh geez,” laughed Jarome when told of his son’s desire to start learning the basic principles of punch-ups.
“Well, they’ve got to learn to protect themselves.
“Chris Murray showed me in junior, he was tough.
“You work through ideas. You don’t want them to not have a clue what’s going on.”
Let’s be clear — fighting certainly won’t be Joe’s calling card, as he currently has just two penalty minutes this season.
He’s a gifted scorer, who leads his team with nine goals and 25 points in 15 games, despite being several years younger than most of his teammates.
Last year, in U-15 AAA, he had 80 goals and 142 points in 60 games.
“He’s pretty civil — he doesn’t get a lot of penalties,” said Jarome, the longtime Flames captain who finished with 1,300 points and over 1,000 penalty minutes in 1,500 NHL games.
“I hated getting penalty minutes when I was younger because you’re in the box and you want to be out there scoring — he’s similar in that area.”
At every turn Joe continues to prove he’s the real deal, the product of an upbringing in which Jarome took an active interest in fostering all three of his kids’ natural talent.
Upon retirement in 2017, Jarome coached both his boys, helping Tij become a projected first-round pick in this year’s draft thanks to a season with the Kelowna Rockets that has seen the 17-year-old score 25 goals and 42 points in 33 games.
Daughter Jade is a standout sophomore at Brown University where she leads the team in goal scoring and was the team’s MVP and co-rookie of the year last season.
“We don’t really talk big picture — it’s more about working to get better and better and how much time goes into it if you want to be really good,” said Jarome when asked what sort of advice he’s dispensed to the kids.
“One thing I’ve learned over the years with the kids I’ve worked with is I don’t think some realize how much actually goes into it.
“There’s a reason why you see (Connor) Bedard doing what he’s doing — they say he doesn’t stop shooting pucks, or stickhandling or getting on the ice.
“You hear those stories about (Sidney) Crosby and I try to pass those stories on to all the kids.
“Coming to practice and working hard is great, but that’s par with everybody.
“How do you get better? It’s a lot of work.”
Jarome is the first to point out, it’s not for everyone.
“For guys who want to push their way up the ladder, you’re literally pushing people out of the way,” said Jarome.
“It’s a great job to be a professional athlete or to go to the NCAA or the WHL, but not everyone gets a seat. It’s what you try to teach them.
“You’re going against a group on the other side and they want the same thing.”
It sure seems to be what his kids want.
Joe says so, and acts accordingly, confirming the overwhelming message from dad revolves around being the hardest worker.
“It really just comes down to work and compete,” said Joe.
“It’s been fun as a parent and as a coach because it’s neat to see how much he enjoys it, because if you don’t really love it it’s going to be hard to do the work to keep moving up,” said Jarome, who has also enjoyed communicating regularly with Flames GM Craig Conroy as a team advisor this season.
“Beyond moving up, as a parent you want them to enjoy it.
“It’s more than just trying to get them to be a pro. It’s fun to see the experiences and the friendships, and the battling, and bits of adversity.
“I’ve been blessed to get to watch it.”
Soon, it would seem, the NHL’s viewing audience will be similarly blessed.
