LW Jujhar Khaira - Everett Silvertips, WHL (2012, 63rd overall, Edmonton)

[StuckOutHere]

Anyone have a read on this guy? Has good size and is doing really well for himself. Think he could be a mid-round pick up? I am not sure if he qualifies this year because I think his birthday is either right on or right around the cut off date for this year.

http://www.bchl.ca/leagues/rosters_...3&teamID=305113&leagueID=2393&playerID=688080

Click to read more...

 

[Jesus Christ Horburn]

That is the most Punjabi name I've ever heard.

 

[Tiranis]

Seems like an interesting player. He's eligible for this year, although he's definitely one of the younger players in the draft. Stats seems promising by BCHL standards. I would be surprised if he doesn't get drafted, if only because so many teams are regretting missing out on Jamie Benn.

 

[StuckOutHere]

Seems like an interesting player. He's eligible for this year, although he's definitely one of the younger players in the draft. Stats seems promising by BCHL standards. I would be surprised if he doesn't get drafted, if only because so many teams are regretting missing out on Jamie Benn.

Just seems like a solid prospect. He is committed to the NCAA for next year so I think he'll make more noise next year if he makes it through the draft somehow. I know I'd be scouting him hard for this year though.

 

[puckfan13]

Would love the Oilers to take him in the 4th round range, project but a keeper. Very thin and bit of a weird stride, but I think he had a growth spurt so it will all come together eventually. Really nice package to go off of, the only thing is that he is going to Michigan Tech which isn't exactly known as a hockey superpower, but maybe it will be better with him, giving him more ice time, etc. Wouldn't be surprised if the team that drafts him asks him to go the WHL route.

 

[R S]

Would love the Oilers to take him in the 4th round range, project but a keeper. Very thin and bit of a weird stride, but I think he had a growth spurt so it will all come together eventually. Really nice package to go off of, the only thing is that he is going to Michigan Tech which isn't exactly known as a hockey superpower, but maybe it will be better with him, giving him more ice time, etc. Wouldn't be surprised if the team that drafts him asks him to go the WHL route.

Especially if he ends up on a team in BC, close to home.

I know that's a concern with many East Indian kids that get into to hockey and end up being scouted and looking to play Jr out west. They seem to have a harder time adjusting to living with a billet family and adjusting to the lifestyle more than most. Hence, staying closer to home.

 

[StuckOutHere]

Especially if he ends up on a team in BC, close to home.

I know that's a concern with many East Indian kids that get into to hockey and end up being scouted and looking to play Jr out west. They seem to have a harder time adjusting to living with a billet family and adjusting to the lifestyle more than most. Hence, staying closer to home.

Have you had a chance to see him play? I'm just really curious what kind of game he plays and where he lines up.

 

[JawandaPuck]

Judge, jury and executioner...



CSS Rankings
Mid 80 | Fnl 74

6' 2.5" / 182 | LW / LHS

 

[LiquidSnake]

That is the most Punjabi name I've ever heard.

How does it go? Doabi Sharabi Jatt Punjabi

 

[Volt]

How does it go? Doabi Sharabi Jatt Punjabi

 

[Dont Hinder Jinder]

Ranked 74th among NA Skaters in the final CS rankings for this years draft. Moved up 6 spots I believe from the Mid-season ranks, which is a good sign.

Here's a quick highlight reel of him, seems to be able to use his size to his advantage. Looking forward to the wave of indo-canadian hockey players about to embark into NHL careers, something I could never accomplish

 

[puckfan13]

Especially if he ends up on a team in BC, close to home.

I know that's a concern with many East Indian kids that get into to hockey and end up being scouted and looking to play Jr out west. They seem to have a harder time adjusting to living with a billet family and adjusting to the lifestyle more than most. Hence, staying closer to home.

Definitely not East Indian, so I guess I never really thought of that, but there does appear to be truth to it on first glance. What are examples of this? I can think of Prab Rai, Manraj Hayer and Kevin Sundher all playing relatively close to home in Seattle, Everett and Chilliwack/Victoria respectively. Tyler Sandhu is also a good prospect for Portland which is a little farther down the way. Sundher didn't seem to have a problem getting traded to Brandon but his adjustment period did seem a bit prolonged...

Is this an ongoing issue during the WHL Bantam Draft? It is a bit of a "coincidence" that they ended up playing on those teams and not Swift Current and Prince Albert. However, there is also geographical bias with scouting too, teams tend to like scouting more from the province they are in. In any case, Khaira wasn't even drafted, he must be on some team's list though.

It's hard to say where Jr. A guys will go, if your regional scout got to see a lot of the games, he will obviously push for him more if he likes him, but some scouts see more of these types of games than others. Prince George wasn't exactly a hot spot for WHL eligible players, but Paul DeJersey who is on Khaira's team also shot up the rankings this year (as a 19-year-old) so I'm sure they were both seen at least 5 times by a few scouts, Troy Bourke on the Cougars is a sleeper too, so again it's hard to say.

Could see him going to Dallas, they love Canadian Jr. A players. They usually draft at least one and sometimes two every year, usually out of the BCHL or Ontario Jr. A, so their scouts obviously do a lot of hard work in that area and are trusted a lot. Nieuwendyk is a product of college hockey so it could be a philosophical thing as well. As an aside, it's fun to look at trends like that, an OHL/QMJHL scout for Dallas might only get a pick once every 4 years, but for a team like Carolina, whose GM used to be a GM in the OHL, they probably pick at least 2 guys a year from that league.

 

[LiquidSnake]

Ranked 74th among NA Skaters in the final CS rankings for this years draft. Moved up 6 spots I believe from the Mid-season ranks, which is a good size.

Here's a quick highlight reel of him, seems to be able to use his size to his advantage. Looking forward to the wave of indo-canadian hockey players about to embark into NHL careers, something I could never accomplish

Agreed. Would be great going forward if we saw some solid Indo-Canadian/American players make an impact in the NHL.

Is Kevin Sundher the highest drafted player so far?

 

[Franck]

Agreed. Would be great going forward if we saw some solid Indo-Canadian/American players make an impact in the NHL.

Is Kevin Sundher the highest drafted player so far?

Manny Malhotra was drafted 7th overall.

 

[Gold Pads*]

dont forget about prab rai!

chake de phate!

 

[Dont Hinder Jinder]

I can already smell the turka creeping into this thread

I think another issue with east-indian/indo-canadian players is the spotlight on them. Think about it this way, you're playing at a level on step away from beginning your career in a sport that the people of that ethnicity obsesses over. The pressure would be significant, although it is probably not as prevalent for a player like Juhjar who is only playing Jr. A. But I guess thats always the case with minorities, not just punjabis. We rally behind the next prospect of our kind, with ridiculously high expectations, and when they don't pan out into the next Gretzky we are disappointed

Anyways, here's hoping Juhjar get's drafted by a nice, young Canadian team (no bias at all )

 

[JawandaPuck]

The pioneers:

• Robin Bawa
• Ajay Baines
• Manny Malhotra

In the system:

1. Kevin Sundher, Brandon, WHL (very skilled)
2. Jujhar Khaira, Prince George, BCHL (good mix of size and skill)
3. Sahir Gill, Boston Univ, HE (skilled but a slightly undersized)
4. Manraj Hayer, Everett, WHL (average)
5. Tyler Sandhu, Portland WHL (2012-13 debut, promising)
6. Prabh Rai, ECHL (doesn't look promising at this point)

And then there is young phenom Arshdeep Bains, only 11, of the Burnaby Winter Club Bruins, who with his teammates recently won the Bell Capital Cup in Ottawa for the atom AAA division. Bains led the tourny in points.

There are/were also one or two Indian kids playing in the OHL if I recall correctly -- can't remember their names though.

 

[R S]

Have you had a chance to see him play? I'm just really curious what kind of game he plays and where he lines up.

I have not seen him play before.

 

[Leaf Rocket]

Wow a lot of desi in this place, I heard about this kid recently from a pal of mine who is a nuck fan and he gave me some intel of him seems promising and I would definitely like to pick him up

 

[BaconNater]

Pretty sure that Jujhar is going to Michigan Tech for the education although the Huskies are turning around and not like they used to be for several years, hes likely to be on the top line next year here.

 

[Hansen]

I could see the Canucks trading up to get him in the early 4th or late 3rd.

 

[R S]

Everett Silvertips just acquired his WHL rights in a deal.

 

[arsmaster*]

I could see the Canucks trading up to get him in the early 4th or late 3rd.

Why the Canucks very rarely draft out of the BCHL or even the WHL in recent years.

Or at least don't have very much success doing so.

 

[JawandaPuck]

Khaira’s plans changed dramatically after Oilers development camp - 2012 draft pick was given an entry-level contract

When Jujhar Khaira left Michigan Tech University after his first year, he was certain he’d be back, so he just packed what he needed for the summer and headed to the Edmonton Oilers’ development camp.

But Khaira, 19, impressed the Oilers so much he was given a entry-level contract. He is now determined to make the Oklahoma City Barons’ roster in the American Hockey League, although it’s more likely he’ll spend the season in junior with the Everett Silvertips of the Western Hockey League.

“I went into the prospect camp not knowing my plans would change. I thought I was going back for another year,” he continued. “My plan was to go back to school, but after the camp, Edmonton talked to my agent.”

“But it was a really tough decision. I had a great time in college last year. It was one of my best years. At the same time, this was a great opportunity. I wanted to sign and start my professional career.

...
​

Khaira's first pre-season point
-number 54, behind the back pass to Yakupov for the goal (3:30 mark) http://youtu.be/QhF521GyB0U?t=3m24s

 

[McFlyingV]

This guy is finally starting to look like he was worth the 3rd round pick. Its been a long wait, but I think he's well on his way to being a very good 3rd line player. He had a good training camp, followed by a pretty poor 6 games to start the season before getting scratched for a few games. Ever since he got back into the lineup he's been awesome. He's big, fast, and strong. Very good puck protection on the cycle, and his offensive game is really starting to come around.

Since being scratched, which seemed to flip a switch for him, he has 5 goals and 4 assists in 10 games while playings 3rd and 4th line. Looked good tonight getting a chance to move off the 4th line to play with Draisaitl and Strome.