Spec Check – Tij Iginla

This week’s Spec Check is a little less about the player and a lot more about what he’s holding.

Tij Iginla is using a brand new TRUE NITRO, a stick we haven’t really seen out in the wild yet. Coming in at just 365 grams, it’s already firmly in that ultra-light category, but the part that really caught our attention is TRUE’s new SmartFlex AI branding.

No, there isn’t actually AI living inside Tij Iginla’s hockey stick. But seeing AI make its way onto a stick is certainly a sign of where hockey marketing is headed. We’re interested to see what TRUE actually means by SmartFlex AI and how much of the NITRO is genuinely different from their previous builds.

Another small detail: did anybody else notice that the flex is written explicitly on the shaft? TRUE has typically used a numeric coding system on pro stock sticks, where the number corresponds to flex in 5 point increments, for example, 1 = 75 flex, 2 = 80, and so on. Seeing the actual flex printed out is a subtle change, but an interesting one.

The guy testing it isn’t a bad choice either. Iginla was selected 6th overall by Utah in the 2024 NHL Draft, becoming the first draft pick in franchise history. After putting up 90 points in 48 WHL games last season, he heads into Utah Mammoth camp believing he’s ready to compete for an NHL roster spot.

A potential future NHLer, a 365g stick we’ve never seen before, and AI written on the shaft.

Not a bad Spec Check.