He played his first games for the Prince George Spruce Kings as a 16-year-old and quickly established himself as one of the team's most dangerous offensive players. These days, Jujhar Khaira has his name on a pro contract and is projected to be a future power forward in the National Hockey League.
Khaira's rise through the ranks has been astonishingly quick. His junior hockey initiation with the Kings came during the 2010-11 B.C. Hockey League season and, right now, as a member of the Edmonton Oilers organization, he's in Penticton at the Young Stars tournament. In Penticton, Khaira is skating against other top prospects belonging to the Vancouver Canucks, Calgary Flames, San Jose Sharks and Winnipeg Jets.
Chances are, Khaira won't stick with the Oilers this season. But, regardless of where he ends up, it will be fun to keep track of his progress. Once a guy has worn a P.G. jersey, he's one of ours for all time.
For those unfamiliar with Khaira's story, he's a product of Surrey who was signed by the Spruce Kings after he was passed over in the Western Hockey League bantam draft. He joined the Kings after a season of midget with the Cloverdale Colts and it didn't take long before he had fans at the Coliseum buzzing about him. As a rookie with the Spruce Kings, he piled up 42 points (10 goals, 32 assists) in 58 games. Just a few months into that season, he landed a U.S. college scholarship at Michigan Tech.
Khaira was back with the Spruce Kings in 2011-12 and blossomed into a true star. Skating on a line with Paul De Jersey and Michael Colantone, he struck for 29 goals and 79 points in 54 games and finished 10th in the BCHL scoring race (De Jersey was first, Colantone 14th).
That summer, Khaira was drafted by the Oilers in the third round, 63rd overall.
Next, he was off to Michigan Tech, where he continued to impress. In the U.S. college game, freshmen typically see a lot more bench than ice but Khaira was too good to keep on the pine. In 37 games with the Huskies, he contributed six goals and 24 points, which tied him for third in team scoring.
Last month, on Aug. 7 to be precise, everything changed for Khaira. That day, he signed an entry-level contract with the Oilers and, in doing so, forfeited his college scholarship. He made the decision himself, and made it for the sake of his development. Quite simply, he wanted to play more games than he would have gotten with the Huskies.
So now, Khaira will either play for the Oilers this season or -- and this is the more likely scenario -- with their American Hockey League affiliate in Oklahoma City, or with the WHL's Everett Silvertips, who own his major-junior rights.
At 19 and a bruising six-foot-four and 215 pounds, Khaira is big enough for the AHL and possibly talented enough. But, the best fit for him may be with the Silvertips, where he can learn the ropes from head coach and former NHL bench boss Kevin Constantine, play within his peer group and try to dominate over the course of a 72-game regular season.
It should be noted that Khaira was once property of the WHL's Prince George Cougars but they traded his rights to the Silvertips during the 2012 bantam draft in a deal that netted them forward Jari Erricson and the seventh overall pick in that draft, which turned into forward Brad Morrison. This season will be Morrison's first full one in the WHL after an impressive five-game stint as a 15-year-old last winter.
As for Khaira's NHL future, he's regarded as a guy who could become a top-six or, at worst, a top-nine forward. Currently, the Oilers see him as one of their 10-best prospects.
And we knew him when he was a boy among Kings.
How cool is that?
