The day after ѻý Rockets’ Tij Iginila was chosen in the first round by the Utah Hockey Club, two more members of the Western Hockey League club landed with NHL teams as the entry draft continued on Saturday.
Hiroki Gojsic was taken in the third round, 94th overall, by the Nashville Predators. Max Graham, went in the fifth round, 139th overall, to the New Jersey Devils.
Gojsic was named the Rockets rookie of the year, racking up 21 goals and 29 assists in 2023-24. Graham led the WHL in penalty minutes with 135. He finished sixth in team scoring with 20 goals and 22 assists.
Iginla, son of NHL great Jarome, was the sixth overall selection in Fridayѻý prime-time first round at the Las Vegas Sphere. The team that chose him, formerly the Arizona Coyotes, had a busy weekend with two first round picks, 11 picks overall, to go along with notable trades and signings.
The Okanaganѻý BC Hockey League teams also had a presence at the draft.
West ѻý Warriors forward Jack Pridham was selected in the third round Saturday, 92nd overall, by the Chicago Blackhawks.
Pridham had a strong rookie season, scoring 23 goals and 25 assists, in 54 regular season games, while adding eight goals and three assists in 10 playoff games. The Stouffville, Ont., native will attend the Blackhawks development camp next month and is expected to return to the Warriors for the 2024-25 season before attending Boston University.
Four BC Hockey League players were drafted. Forward Logan Sawyer of the Brooks Bandits went in the third round, 78th overall, to the Montreal Canadiens.
Former Vernon Vipers defenceman Luke Ashton went in the sixth round, 165th overall, to the Columbus Blue Jackets. Ashton played last season for the Langley Rivermen after two seasons in Vernon. Heѻý off to Minnesota State this fall.
Defenceman Matt Lahey of the Nanaimo Clippers went in the seventh round, 200th overall, to the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Warriors forward Callum Hughes was also listed in pre-draft rankings but didn’t get his name called. Hughes will attend the Vancouver Canucks development camp in July.
Penticton Vees recruit Ben Merrill was chosen in the sixth round, 166th overall, by the Canadians. Merrill played high school hockey least season at St. Sebastianѻý School in Needham, Mass. He’ll join the Vees this season and is committed to Harvard University.
On their website, the Utah team, which doesn’t even have a nickname yet, said this about Iginla:
“The 5-foot-11, 183-pound Iginla registered 47-37-84 and was plus-17 in 64 games with ѻý last season, leading the team in goals and ranking second in scoring. Iginla also recorded 9-6-15 in 11 playoff games.
“The Lake Country, British Columbia, native tallied 6-12-18 in 48 games with Seattle (WHL) in 2022-23 helping the club win the WHL championship. In Seattle, Iginla played alongside current Utah forward Dylan Guenther and was one of three 16-year-olds to play with Seattle that season.
“Over three WHL seasons with ѻý and Seattle, Iginla recorded 53-50-103 and plus-24 in 115 career games.
“Iginla also won a gold medal with Team Canada at the 2024 IIHF U18 World Junior Championship, tallying 6-6-12 in seven games.”
Iginla was ranked ninth among North American skaters heading into the draft but a strong finish to the season saw his value surge. He was a ѻý Division all-star and the Rockets most valuable player.
The highest a Rocket has ever been picked was defenseman Luke Schenn, fifth overall, to the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2008.
The Rockets now have five drafted players on their roster with Andrew Cristall (Washington) and Caden Price (Seattle) both chosen at last yearѻý draft.