FEATURE FRIDAY: Jujhar Khaira

“He was a man among boys,” – Gerry Fleming on Jujhar Khaira during the pre-season.

One of the brightest spots of the Condors 2015-16 season, second-year C Jujhar Khaira blossomed into a top contributor for the Condors and a prospect for the future of the Edmonton Oilers.

Through the Condors first 16 games, Khaira had a modest seven points (3g-4a), but was doing the things needed to earn his first NHL call-up at the end of November. In the process, he became the first Condors player to make his NHL debut in the same season he played for Bakersfield.

Upon arriving in the NHL, the 6’3″, 214 lbs. physical center immediately put his size to use and to impress those watching closely at his development. He played 12 games on that first stint, had two assists, and dropped the mitts for his first NHL fight.

“I tend to stay away from all the articles and what people are saying about me,” he said back in November. “I want to keep my head in a sane place and just worry about what I need to do day in and day out. People are going to say what they’re going to say. That’s for my parents (to read). I just focus on what I’m doing.”

Brimming with confidence from the NHL stint, Khaira came back to the Condors in January and immediately got to work on pushing the team forward. He went on to notch 19 points (7g-12a) over his next 21 games thru March including a six-game,  10-points (4g-6a) streak in early February.

An underrated aspect of Khaira’s game was shorthanded where he became a go-to stalwart on the team’s penalty kill in addition to leading the team in fighting majors.

Well-liked in the room, Khaira enters his third season in the organization pushing for an NHL spot out of training camp and motivated to take the next step.