Jujhar Khaira has heard the horror stories.
But, with his participation in the National Hockey League Scouting Combine just days away, he's not too worried about the torturous physical testing that has left many a player before him bent over a bucket or staggering to the washroom to empty the contents of his stomach. Khaira, a two-year member of the Prince George Spruce Kings, is in the best condition of his young life so he's more concerned about the other part of the Combine -- sitting down and playing question-and-answer with NHL general managers and scouts.
"Just watching videos on YouTube and stuff, the mind games they supposedly play on you, I'm kind of nervous about that," he said Friday from his hometown of Surrey.
The Combine, which gives teams the chance to meet and evaluate top prospects in advance of the NHL draft, starts Monday in Toronto. The draft itself is June 22-23 in Pittsburgh.
Khaira, a 17-year-old forward who stands six-foot-three and weighs 200 pounds, was one of 105 players invited to attend the Combine. He received the news in early April and, since then, has been sharpening his interviewing skills and working out like a madman.
In short, he's as ready as he's ever going to be.
"I've trained as hard as I could over the past few weeks and we'll see what happens," he said. "I've heard the VO2 test is just hell -- a lot of people puke on that one. But I can't be too intimidated. I have to go in there and show what I have, and what I have to give, and just prove to everybody that I deserve to be there."
Plenty of NHL teams -- including the New York Islanders, Montreal Canadiens, Chicago Blackhawks, New York Rangers, Los Angeles Kings and Toronto Maple Leafs -- have already spoken with Khaira. He has also filled out paperwork for the Vancouver Canucks, Florida Panthers and others.
"It's obviously pretty exciting," said Khaira, who had 29 goals and 79 points in 54 B.C. Hockey League games with the Spruce Kings in 2011-12. "You've got to enjoy it, I guess, while you can and work as hard as you can at the Combine and then see what happens at the draft."
In the final set of draft rankings, Khaira was 74th among North American skaters. From the midterm rankings, he jumped six positions.
During the season, Khaira skated on a line with Michael Colantone and Paul De Jersey, the BCHL scoring champion with 41 goals and 98 points. The Kings had their best regular season in years, finishing third in the Interior Conference with a 33-21-2-4 record. In the playoffs, they were eliminated in the first round by the second-place Merritt Centennials.
Not surprisingly, Khaira grew up as a fan of the Canucks. But, he wouldn't complain a bit if one of the other 29 NHL teams calls his name during the draft.
"Playing in the NHL in general, that's always been a dream," said Khaira, who hopes to be selected in the second or third round.
Khaira's immediate future has already been determined. In late August, he'll head to Houghton, Mich., where he'll begin his NCAA career with the Michigan Tech Huskies.
"I'm really excited to get there," said Khaira, who earned a scholarship to Michigan Tech during a 10-goal, 42-point rookie season with the Kings.
