CALGARY – Joe Iginla’s smile widened when asked about the reaction from his proud papa.
“The first thing he said was that he had nothing to do with it,” beamed Joe Iginla from his family home outside Kelowna, recounting the first words from Jarome after news broke the Flames selected the personable teen 65th overall Saturday.
“That was nice, because obviously people have stuff to say, like ‘your dad’s part of the Flames,’ or ‘he played there.’ But he said that he had nothing to do with it. They just picked me because they wanted to pick me. So I was happy with that.”
Because within seconds of the Flames using a third-round pick on the son of a franchise icon, the social media scouts questioned whether the Flames jumped the gun.
Asked about the unique challenge of trying to make his own name in the same organization where his Hall of Fame father is considered the greatest player in franchise history, the 17-year-old didn’t flinch.
“Obviously, haters are gonna always say something, and people will say something about your dad, but I feel like at this point in my career I’ve heard about every insult and chirp there is about my dad,” he smiled.
“So I think I’m just gonna go out there and try to prove them wrong.”
That’s exactly the attitude he’ll need.
Because whether it’s fair or not, this pick will be judged differently than every other one Calgary made this weekend.
Two years ago, an entire city spent months dreaming about the Flames landing older brother Tij with the ninth overall pick. Instead, Utah scooped him up sixth overall before Calgary ever had the chance.
Not in the third round anyway.
Not with Joe ranked 200th among North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting.
Not after a draft season in which the 5-foot-10, 170-pound right winger produced 15 goals and 31 points in 59 games split between Vancouver and Edmonton in the WHL.
The numbers simply don’t scream third-round pick.
He could have been taken much, much later.
Each of the Flames’ last three selections were ranked ahead of Iginla.
But clearly the Flames planned to gamble on his genes, as evidenced by the fact that Flames alumni Todd Simpson dropped by the Iginla house minutes later with a draft package and jersey.
“Maybe we could have waited, but we’ve waited at different times before, and then you lose the player, and then you’re mad at yourself,” said Flames GM Craig Conroy, citing a similar situation with Josh Doan that saw the Flames lose the player.
“If you watch him over the years, I think he’s going to be a little bit of a late bloomer, and we believe there’s still room to grow. As the season went along, he had good stretches, and then he broke his ribs, so maybe the production was down a little bit this year. But the work ethic, the person, I mean, obviously we know everything about him, and we’re betting on him that he’s going to continue to progress.”
As a special advisor to Conroy, Jarome recused himself from all conversations involving Joe.
“He didn’t want to be a part of it,” said Conroy of Jarome.
“If we took Joe, it was because Joe earned it.
“We met Joe in Kelowna at the Memorial Cup, and we asked if Calgary was a place he wanted to go. He goes, ‘If you want me, I want to go where I’m wanted, not because of my name.’ He said, ‘I’ve got thick skin, and I’ve got a lot to prove, and I feel like I’m going to do the work and do whatever I need to do to become a player in the NHL.”
Joe’s path hasn’t been linear. Three years ago, he scored an eye-popping 80 goals in 60 U15 AAA games, looking every bit like the next elite goal scorer in the family. His development since then hasn’t accelerated the way many expected, thanks in part to adversity, injuries and the adjustment to major junior.
“They’ve been eventful for sure,” he said of the last few years.
“I think it’s taught me a lot about dealing with adversity, and you’re not always gonna get the luckiest bounce,” he said.
“Sometimes you might get hurt, or sometimes you’ll be in a slump for a little bit, but I think I learned so much about pushing through it, staying positive, and just kind of dealing with that.”
The Flames are hoping resilience may ultimately matter more than his draft ranking.
It’s important to note that many love the move, confident that a late-blooming Iginla is a worthy gamble.
Context certainly matters.
This wasn’t the Flames burning a first-round pick on sentimentality.
It was the 65th selection in a draft where Calgary made nine picks.
The third round is where organizations take swings.
The Flames gambled on bloodlines, character and the possibility that one of hockey’s greatest genetic lotteries hasn’t finished paying dividends.
“My parents were kind of staying out of it,” said Joe when asked if the city in which he took his first strides on his backyard rink was a dream destination.
“They know there’s probably a little extra added pressure going to Calgary, but I’ve been around the Flames my whole life, so it was always kind of a dream for me to be on them. So now that I got drafted to them, it’s like a dream come true.”
He also isn’t pretending the pressure won’t exist.
“People say pressure’s a privilege, so I just try to look at it like I’m really grateful to be drafted to the Calgary Flames,” said Iginla, who needs to bulk up for next season in Vancouver.
“I’m just excited right now.”
But deep down, even the biggest critics of the move understand the rationale could still wind up proving to be sound.
NOTES: Other Flames picks Saturday included:
36th: Chase Harrington, a 6-foot-1, 202-pound Spokane Chiefs left winger who had 28 goals and 57 points in 61 games, adding 105 penalty minutes.
42nd: Traded up with Carolina for picks 51 and 68 to draft Youngstown goalie Tobias Trejbal, a 6-foot-4, 194-pound right-catching keeper from Czechia who some thought might go in the first round. He’s the first goalie to go in the draft. USHL goalie of the year with a 2.12 GAA and .916 save percentage.
55th: 17-year-old Alan Shaikhlislamov from Russia’s MHL league, where the 6-foot-1, 187-pound RW had 18 goals and 35 points in 31 games.
100th: Flames take Egor Barabanov from Saginaw 100th overall, a 6-foot-1, 177 pound 20-year-old centre who has been through the draft twice. He had 28 goals and 91 points in 68 games for Saginaw.
132nd: Simon Katolicky, LW, Tappara Jr., Finland
164th: Bode Laylin, D, Tri-City, USHL