Freshman Jade Iginla was two years old the last time a Brown University skater scored as many goals as Iginla herself has put up this season. It has been 16 years since Haley Moore scored 20 goals in 2006-07.
Iginla’s 17 goals are tied for seventh most in the ECAC among all skaters and first among rookies in the conference. She’s also third among all freshmen nationwide in goals scored despite having played five fewer games than those ahead of her thanks to the shortened Ivy League schedule.
Her 23 points are the most in a season in 13 years for a Brown Bear. Iginla is responsible for 25% of her team’s goals (48 total) and 20% of her team’s points (113 total).
There was no way Jade was going to go unnoticed when she got to college. If you know hockey, you know the Iginla name. Jade’s father Jarome was first-ballot Hall-of-Famer in 2020 after an 21-year, 1500 game NHL career and two Olympic gold medals with Canada.
But Brown coach Mel Ruzzi said that opponents may have underestimated her.
“I think everyone knew who she was, but I don’t think they knew how good she was. You see her play and you think ‘this young woman is the real deal,’” Ruzzi said.
“Early in the season, I don’t think people gave her enough credit and respect. They focused on our top line, but not Jade specifically. I think what’s really cool is the second time around within the league, people were paying attention and even in that moment, she’s still skyrocketing with putting up points.”
The showiest way Iginla has made an impact for Brown this season is on the penalty kill. Her three short-handed goals are tied for fourth in the country. What makes that even more impressive is that Ruzzi said Iginla was not even a part of the penalty kill unit until a third of the way through the season, as the coaching staff didn’t want to overwhelm her. But Iginla has thrived in the position.
“Part of it is our style of play. We are an aggressive team. I feel like that’s how we can thrive. We want to showcase that in our play and that suits Jade really well. When it comes to the puck, we’re hunters. The second we have a beat on something we want to jump and Jade has the explosive skating and power to be able to jump super efficiently. Part of it is great teammates that kill really, really aggressively and can feed her the puck, part of it is making that read and jumping and using her gifts,” said Ruzzi.
Iginla is a dynamic skater who anticipates the play, sees the ice and uses an explosive first couple of strides to create separation. Her comfort in stride helps her to play bigger than her small frame, holding off bigger defenders trailing her while trying to disrupt a breakaway.
There was always going to be expectations and attention on Iginla thanks to her last name, but she has hit the ice at full speed in Providence. There was no easing in and Ruzzi said she was struck by the grit, determination and compete Iginla shows.
“I don’t know if people can see how much of a competitor she is. There’s no question, she has confidence, but it’s confidence coupled with just being an absolute competitor,” Ruzzi said.
That confidence has shown up in an important and underappreciated way, as well.
“Jade is really humble. Elite women athletes are pretty humble. I think there needs to be a little bit of swagger. Swagger is really important. She’s developing that,” said Ruzzi.
Brown won two more games than last season (and six more than the season before Ruzzi took over), but still missed out on their goal of making the ECAC tournament, finishing ninth when the top eight teams advance. But things are brewing at Brown and Ruzzi said she wouldn’t have taken the coaching job with the program if she didn’t think they could win. They’ve started to do that thanks to Iginla and the freshman class.
There’s not a player of the five in the freshman class that hasn’t contributed in big ways for Brown, Ruzzi said. While the lion’s share of the points belong to Jade, she and the three other skaters in her class account for 50% of the team’s goals and 40% of the team’s points. This class gives the team an offensive dynamic the program hasn’t had in a very long time.
While Iginla has started to garner more attention for the goals she’s scoring, Ruzzi pointed out that Iginla has been a difference-maker for the Bears since she joined the team. She plays in every situation on the ice for Brown and has proved herself again and again.
“Going back to September, she stepped on campus and every minute of extra ice time, she was out there whether it was with a coach or by herself. She’s magnetic, so she also has other teammates that are out there with her,” said Ruzzi.
“She’s a special player, but she’s a special player because she works at it. Relentlessly.”
