It's been a pretty remarkable couple of weeks for the Silvertips, and that continued today with confirmation that 19-year-old power forward Jujhar Khaira will attend Everett's training camp, which begins next Thursday.
Khaira's story has been well documented. Everett acquired his rights during the 2012 bantam draft. He was then a third-round pick by the Edmonton Oilers in the 2012 NHL draft. He chose the NCAA over Everett and had a good freshman season at Michigan Tech in 2012-13, and was expected to return for his sophomore campaign. However, he signed an entry-level contract with the Oilers, thus surrendering his NCAA eligibility. That put him back on Everett's radar.
Well, now it's looking inevitable that Khaira will be suiting up for the Tips this season. Not only will he be attending training camp in Everett, his potential destinations have narrowed. It was originally thought Khaira, because he was an NCAA player, was eligible to play professionally in the minors at 19. However, he wasn't actually drafted out of the NCAA, he was drafted following his season with the BCHL's Prince George Spruce Kings. According to Tips general manager Garry Davidson, the Canadian junior A leagues are subject to the same rules as major junior, meaning players drafted from the BCHL aren't eligible for the minors until they're 20. Therefore, the only places Khaira can play this season are Edmonton or Everett.