Saturday Sunshine: JJ’s breakout season
By Nation Dan
5 years agoThis week, and every week going forward, I am going to take a trip with you on Saturday’s to add a little sunshine to the Oilers landscape. In here I will take some time to look at one positive thing from the week, or that we have to look forward to. So click on that Saturday Sunshine track and let us venture out into the sunny days.
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I imagine most people were thinking the first one of these that I would feature would be Connor McDavid and honestly who could blame you? He is our one true hope to lead us to the promised land of Lord Stanley’s mug but I will be definitely featuring him in the coming weeks.
This week’s positive to look back on and into the future is the 23-year-old young man from Surrey, British Columbia. Having just completed his first full year in Oilers silks. Can you help but not be excited for this guy into the future?
The Everett Silvertips standout who had 43 points in his one season in the dub has been with the AHL Condors (Barons for a playoff run and one season) or the Oilers ever since.
| Season | Team | Lge | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | +/- | PGP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013-14 | Oklahoma City Barons | AHL | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | -1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2014-15 | Oklahoma City Barons | AHL | 51 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 62 | -7 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 4 |
| 2015-16 | Bakersfield Condors | AHL | 49 | 10 | 17 | 27 | 69 | 3 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2015-16 | Edmonton Oilers | NHL | 15 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 13 | -2 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2016-17 | Bakersfield Condors | AHL | 27 | 8 | 12 | 20 | 31 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2016-17 | Edmonton Oilers | NHL | 10 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2017-18 | Edmonton Oilers | NHL | 69 | 11 | 10 | 21 | 47 | -7 | — | — | — | — | — |
| NHL Totals | 94 | 12 | 12 | 24 | 62 |
The ability and rise that this young man has had to go from the BCHL to the College ranks to the Dub to the AHL and now the NHL is astounding. He has found a home playing in Edmonton now and that is something to be excited about.
There is no way you can talk about Jujhar and not speak to the ground-breaking he has done as well by simply being in the league (let alone excelling). He is the third Punjab Indian-born player in NHL history. He a beacon in the community and proudly wears the ambassador title well.
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On top of all that he is a great player and teammate with the Oilers. His twenty-four points in 96 games are the icing on the cake to a physical player with a nose for the net and a defensive soundness to his game. His mental and physical maturity level is what has brought him to this point and now he is shining.
On March 8th against the Islanders, I was proud to be able to watch one of our youngest guys in Jujhar stand up to one of the league’s biggest pest/agitators in Cal Clutterbuck and he destroyed him.
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And man does he ever destroy opponents:
Jujhar Khaira vs Colin Miller – Feb 15, 2018 3pd 13:02
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Jujhar Khaira vs Christian Folin – Feb 7, 2018 1pd 16:06
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That is the kind of player Edmonton has wanted to and craved for years. A player with the skill to chip in from your bottom six, can play in spots in your top six and act as a deterrent for anyone trying to push around your stars. The excitement for the one they call JJ is unsurprising and well deserved. He has nowhere to go but up.
Jujhar Khaira is definitely a positive.
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