Flames select – Joe Iginla says his father Jarome had “nothing to do with it” after Calgary selected the 17-year-old 65th overall. The Flames’ gamble is tied to character, resilience and a belief the late-bloom potential is still there—while Saturday’s wider draft haul added
CALGARY – Joe Iginla’s smile grew as he talked about the reaction from his proud papa.
“The first thing he said was that he had nothing to do with it,” the 17-year-old said from his family home outside Kelowna after the news broke that the Flames had selected him 65th overall on Saturday.
Jarome’s response set the tone. Joe remembered how quickly the outside conversation began the moment Calgary used a third-round pick on the son of a franchise Hall of Fame icon. People wondered whether the Flames had jumped the gun—whether the team was choosing “because of the name.”
Joe said his father cut through it immediately.
“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.”
Now comes the hard part: doing the work in Calgary. with every performance measured against a shadow that never really disappears. Asked about the unique challenge of trying to build his own identity in the same organization where Jarome is regarded as the greatest player in franchise history. Joe didn’t try to soften the reality.
“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 said with a small grin.
“So I think I’m just gonna go out there and try to prove them wrong.”
The Flames, for their part, framed the selection as earned rather than inherited.
Jarome recused himself from all conversations involving Joe. “He didn’t want to be a part of it,” Flames GM Craig Conroy said.
Conroy made it clear the decision wasn’t driven by legacy.
“If we took Joe, it was because Joe earned it.”
Calgary also tied its confidence to a direct conversation. Conroy said the Flames met Joe in Kelowna at the Memorial Cup, asked if Calgary was a place he wanted to go, and heard a message that sounded like a test.
“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.”
That thick skin will be tested by the numbers—and by the fact that this pick will be judged differently than every other Flames selection from that draft weekend.
Two years ago, Calgary’s fanbase spent months hoping the organization would land older brother Tij with the ninth overall pick. Utah selected him instead at sixth overall before Calgary ever got a chance.
Not in the third round, either.
Not with Joe ranked 200th among North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting.
Not after a draft season that produced totals that—at least on paper—don’t match the typical third-round profile. Joe, a 5-foot-10, 170-pound right winger, scored 15 goals and 31 points in 59 games split between Vancouver and Edmonton in the WHL.
“It’s a little different,” is basically the unspoken sentiment of the debate around the pick: the production doesn’t scream third round. Joe, according to how teams often value upside versus risk, could have been taken much later.
Calgary’s own draft board hinted at how they saw this move—because their last three selections were ranked ahead of Iginla.
Conroy acknowledged the idea that they “maybe could have waited,” but said the Flames have tried that approach before.
“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,” Conroy said, pointing to a similar situation involving Josh Doan that saw Calgary lose the player.
The gamble, Conroy said, is built on a belief in development. “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.”
He also tied the dip in production to injuries.
“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.”
Joe’s own story matches the theme the Flames are leaning on: his path hasn’t been linear.
Three years ago, he scored 80 goals in 60 U15 AAA games and looked like the next elite goal-scorer in the family. After that, his development didn’t climb in a straightforward line—adversity, injuries, and the adjustment to major junior all played their part.
“They’ve been eventful for sure,” Joe 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 counting on that resilience to matter more than draft ranking.
They’re also betting on the timing. Conroy’s comments made it clear Calgary didn’t see this as first-round sentimentality—it was the 65th selection in a draft where the Flames made nine picks, and the third round is where teams often take swings they believe carry value.
“My parents were kind of staying out of it,” Joe said when asked if the city where 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 didn’t pretend the weight of expectations won’t follow.
“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,” Iginla said. “I’m just excited right now.”
He’ll need to add strength next season, too. The plan is for him to bulk up for next season in Vancouver.
For all the heat around the selection, Joe’s tone suggests the critics won’t get an easy answer—and that’s exactly the point. If the Flames are right, late-blooming upside can turn into something tangible long before anyone forgets where this debate started.
Even Joe seems ready for that long runway.
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.
MISRYOUM Sports News Calgary Flames Joe Iginla Jarome Iginla NHL Draft Craig Conroy Vancouver Edmonton WHL Tobias Trejbal Chase Harrington Alan Shaikhlislamov Egor Barabanov Simon Katolicky Bode Laylin