Regan Vs. Rockets: Tij Iginla

In a new series, Regan vs. Rockets, RocketFAN.ca’s Regan Bartel has some casual chats with past and current players of the Kelowna Rockets.

This week, he spoke with current Rocket forward, Tij Iginla.

The two took to the court to see who has better hoop skills.

Regan: You're on a brand-new team, the Kelowna Rockets, your thoughts about the trade and how excited are you to play here?

Tij: I'm thrilled. Just getting to live at home and I already know a lot of the guys at the Rockets and they're super nice guys. I'm super excited to get started.

R: So Prospera Place, that's going to be your home arena. Do you have a good vibe there? Have you had success in the past or does it just feel like home?

T: Yeah, I haven't scored there yet, so I'll be looking to hopefully get one on the board there early. But yeah, it's definitely a nice rink and I'm excited to make that my home rink for sure.

R: You scored six goals, I think, in your rookie campaign. So what's the projection this year? But do you have a general sense? Do you try to set a goal that you want to attain?

T: I don't want to put a number on it. But never you know, you kind of want to let your actions speak for themselves a little bit. But yeah, hopefully it's always a big year.

R: You want to be a go to guy, right? I mean, I know that's only your second year in the WHL, but you can be a top six forward?

T: Yeah, I hope so for sure.

R: What do you bring to the table? Because a lot of people will have maybe seen you a little bit as a player. In your opinion, what type of player are you or describe how you play the game.

T: I'd say I try to be an offensive minded player. I try to create scoring chances for myself and my teammates and then when I get those chances, put as many of them in the back of the net as I can.

R: Can you be a bit of a leader on this hockey club, or are you too young for that?

T: I think everyone can be a leader. There can be a bunch of different, different leaders that step up at different times on a team. So hopefully I can be one of those guys for the club as well.

R: Are you a rah-rah guy? Are you a quiet guy, reserve guy, do you stay within yourself or will you be a real encourager?

T: I guess I could do a bit of both of that, I guess for whatever situation calls for at the time. I think I can kind of lead in different ways.