Utah
Iginla 'unbelievable kid,' poised for bright future with Utah | NHL.com
SALT LAKE CITY — When Tij Iginla was introduced to the crowd during the Utah Hockey Club’s development camp scrimmage Friday, he was greeted with the loudest applause of anyone on the roster.
“It was really cool to hear a big cheer when my name was called,” said the 17-year-old center, selected by Utah with the No. 6 pick in the 2024 NHL Draft. “I think the fans have been so welcoming to the hockey club and to me as well. It looks like we’re going to have some of the best fans in the League down the road and it should be a lot of fun.”
Though his NHL debut has yet to be determined, the son of Calgary Flames icon and Hockey Hall of Famer Jarome Iginla has already made big waves in Utah.
“He’s an unbelievable kid, he’s a hockey player inside and out,” Utah general manager Bill Armstrong said. “We really loved him not only as a person but as a player, he has everything that we like.”
Iginla is coming off a breakout season with Kelowna of the Western Hockey League; he was second on the team with 84 points (47 goals, 37 assists) in 64 games and led the club in goals following a trade from Seattle on June 8, 2023. He also had 12 points (six goals, six assists) in seven games to help Canada win the 2024 IIHF World Junior Championship.
“I think the thing that stood out was the work ethic, high motor, and then just the willingness to play on the inside, which is critical in the NHL,” Utah director of player development Lee Stempniak said. “That’s where the goals are scored, and [he has] that willingness, which is great to see.”
SALT LAKE CITY — A California man in Utah, as part of his duties with the National Guard, is accused of trying to solicit sex from a young teenager.
Joshua Ruben Rodriguez, 29, of Fresno, was charged Tuesday in 3rd District Court with attempted rape of a child, a first-degree felony, and enticement of a minor, a second-degree felony.
The investigation began when an agent with the Utah State Bureau of Investigation posed as a 13-year-old girl on a “popular social media site … in an attempt to locate and apprehend adults attempting to have sexual contact with children,” according to charging documents.
On April 16, Rodriguez sent the agent a message — believing he was talking to a teen girl — that stated, “I’ll be direct with you, I would like to get to know you and (have sex with) your mind into a daze to where you feel like a woman,” according to charging documents.
When the “girl” asked if he had a problem with her age, Rodriguez replied, “I don’t have a problem with your age,” the charges state.
The agent told Rodriguez to meet at an apartment complex in Salt Lake County where the girl lived, claiming her mother would be gone. When Rodriguez arrived, he was taken into custody, the charges state.
“(Rodriguez) does not have ties to Utah. He is a resident of Fresno, California. (He) was in town as part of his military service with the California National Guard,” prosecutors stated in charging documents while requesting he be held without bail pending trial.
ST. GEORGE, Utah (KUTV) — One person was hospitalized at the St. George Regional Hospital after a car rolled and caught fire just south of the Utah-Arizona border.
The Beaver Dam and Littlefield Fire Department in Arizona said its crews responded to the crash near the Black Rock Road exit – roughly two miles south of the state border – on Sunday night.
Upon arrival, crews put out the car fire and found the driver had left the scene. A single occupant, who was able to get out of the car on their own, was transported to the hospital by a Beaver Dam ambulance.
MORE | Crashes
Their condition has not been publicly released.
Details on what led to the crash and the condition of the driver were not immediately available.
The Beaver Dam and Littlefield Fire Department said law enforcement investigated the scene.
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SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah Jazz missed out on the NBA Playoffs, but still scored a big win thanks to a coin flip.
In Monday’s tiebreaker coin flip to determine who had the fourth-worst record in the league last season, the Jazz came out winners over the Sacramento Kings, who had the same 22-60 record.
Had the Jazz lost the coin flip, they would have been fifth in NBA Draft Lottery odds. Only the worst four teams are guaranteed to remain within the top eight of the lottery.
If Utah had fallen to fifth, there would have been the chance they could have dropped out of the top 8 teams in the lottery, and owed the draft pick to Oklahoma City, which was top-8 protected in a previous trade.
The Jazz now have an 11.5 percent chance to win the first overall pick in the NBA Draft Lottery, which is scheduled for Sunday, May 10.
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