IIHF – Like father, like son

Hockey is a small world. If you’ve ever spotted a young player with a familiar surname and said, “Hey, I wonder if that kid is so-and-so’s son?”, well, guess what? He probably is.

That tradition continues at the 2024 IIHF U18 World Championship in Finland. From Sweden and Slovakia to Canada and the U.S., these rosters abound with budding talents whose fathers suited up both in IIHF competition and the NHL.

Some of these fathers are among the biggest names in hockey history. Yet it’s clear that their sons mostly have learned how to take advantage of their famous dads’ experiences – while not placing undue pressure on themselves to be “clones of Dad” or outdo his feats.

Overwhelmingly, their sentiment is one of gratitude.
 

Case in point: Canada’s Tij Iginla. His dad, of course, is Jarome Iginla. The legendary Calgary Flames captain, who sits 36th in all-time NHL scoring (1,300 points), also scored twice in the 2002 Olympic final in Salt Lake City and led the 2010 Vancouver Olympics in goal-scoring (five). In both cases, Iginla reaped gold medals to go along with his 1996 World Junior and 1997 IIHF World Championship titles.

No pressure, right? Well, not according to his 17-year-old son, a projected 2024 NHL first-round pick from the WHL’s Kelowna Rockets.

“He’s meant so much to my career,” said Tij, whose sister Jade also starred for the U18 Canadian women’s team that won gold in Madison, Wisconsin in 2022. “Being able to work with him has been a great opportunity. He was a good player. He has a lot of knowledge about the game, so he tries to share as much of that with me as he can. And he;’s a great dad as well.”

Canadian teammate Ryder Ritchie’s father Byron is also based in Kelowna, a British Columbia city historically known for its Okanagan Valley vineyards and orchards.

Byron, a veteran of 332 NHL games with four clubs, also captained European teams like SC Bern and Modo Ornskoldsvik. So he’s a fruitful source of inspiration for his son.

“Getting to grow up watching him play and considering the role model and mentor he has been to me, I wouldn’t be here without him,” said Ryder, another likely ‘24 first-rounder who had 47 points in 44 games despite battling injuries with the WHL’s Prince Albert Raiders. “I owe him a lot. So I’m super thankful to have a dad like him.”

Miroslav Satan is equally grateful when he imagines what it would be like to get…