Tij Iginla Scores First Pro Career Goal Against Firebirds

The wait is finally over. Nine games into the American Hockey League season, Utah Mammoth 2024 first-round pick Tij Iginla has scored his first pro goal with the Tucson Roadrunners.

It came on Wednesday in a one-off game against the Coachella Valley Firebirds. In the second period, Montana Onyebuchi made a great stretch pass from his own zone up to Joshua Roy, who made a backhanded pass to Iginla.

From there, Iginla showed off his raw talent, evading a Firebirds defender and getting a shot off with that player still on his back. The puck went into the back of the net, and the 2024 first-round pick put his arms up in celebration.

It feels like it’s been a long time coming for Iginla, who had quite a few chances throughout the first eight games to score. One of the biggest issues with Iginla’s game during his first few pro games is that it felt like he was holding back and wasn’t making those moves we saw him make in juniors to get the puck to the net and score. The way he scored his first pro goal looked like the goals he scored with the Kelowna Rockets, with the talent on display that got him drafted.

Something people won’t mention when talking about this goal: the first person to skate to him and congratulate him was Caleb Desnoyers. That chemistry and friendship are something you want to see develop if you’re the Mammoth. You could tell Desnoyers was genuinely hyped for Iginla as well, giving him a stick tap on the shins and yelling before Iginla headed to the bench.

Iginla is the fifth Roadrunners rookie to score his first pro goal this season. He joins Desnoyers, Yegor Borikov, Vadim Moroz, and Tomas Lavoie.

Wednesday’s game was an eventful one for the Roadrunners. Desnoyers himself got an assist on Austin Poganki’s goal, his fifth point of the season. Lavoie had his first pro fight, battling Nathan Villeneuve after the Firebirds forward made a pointless hit on Desnoyers. Michael Hrabal got his third win of the season and continues to prove himself as the Roadrunners’ starter, rocking a .929 save percentage.

Outside of the rookies, Ben McCartney scored a shorthanded goal, the sixth of his career, which breaks the Roadrunners’ franchise record. The forward ended up scoring two goals during the game. He now has 13 points in nine games, which ties him for third in the entire AHL. Brandon Tanev also registered an assist, his third point of the season.

The win was also the seventh straight game in which the Roadrunners have collected a point. The team is now third in the Pacific Division, just one point behind the Colorado Eagles and Abbotsford Canucks.

It’s a big weight off Iginla’s back moving forward, getting the first pro goal of his career. They always say the first one is the hardest to get. The hope now is that Iginla really starts producing and becomes a big factor for the Roadrunners heading forward as they chase down a playoff spot and potentially their first division title since the 2019-20 season.