THE IMPOSSIBLE DREAM

3RD ROUND PICK MAKES IT TO THE SHOW

• 2000 D Alexander Ljubimov
• 2001 D Kenny Smith
• 2002 L Brock Radunske
• 2003 F Mikhail Zhukov
• 2003 R Zack Stortini (257 NHL games)
• 2005 D Danny Syvret (59 NHL games)
• 2005 F Robby Dee
• 2006 D Theo Peckham (160 NHL games)
• 2009 D Troy Hesketh
• 2009 R Cameron Abney
• 2010 C Ryan Martindale
• 2011 G Samu Perhonen
• 2011 C Travis Ewanyk
• 2012 F Jujhar Khaira (1 NHL game)
• 2012 L Daniil Zharkov
• 2013 C Bogdan Yakimov (1 NHL game)
• 2013 L Anton Slepyshev (11 NHL games)

COMMENTS ABOUT KHAIRA OVER THE YEARS

• Redline: we believe this kid could be the
  biggest/best sleeper of the entire draft. Prince George is so far off
  the beaten path teams don’t even travel there for WHL games, much less
  BCHL contests, so he gets zero exposure. But this kid is big, mean,
  aggressive, nasty, and guess what… he can score too. Does the dirty work
  in the corners, bangs bodies and wins battles, and loves to initiate
  heavy contact. Powerful stride with great balance and gets leverage on
  his hits. Has surprisingly soft hands and puck skills with playmaking
  ability. Creates lots of space for smaller teammates and makes everyone
  braver. Very raw defensively.
• Todd Nelson: “I noticed a drastic change at
  this development camp. He’s improving every time I see him, and after
  seeing his brothers, if everything goes as planned, he’s going to fill
  out nicely.”
• Kevin McCartney: Khaira
  was one of the few Oilers who was generating offence from down low. He
  drove the net, banged bodies to win pucks, and generally caused havoc
  for the Calgary defenders. It was obvious he’s a prospect of interest.
  He did, however, over-pursue the puck at times and was left stranded on
  plays in which Calgary was able to move the puck off their end wall. He
  may be used to hockey in which his physical skills are superior to those
  around him, or perhaps his college team played an offensive system in
  which the centre went low. In either case, his defensive coverage in
  transition was non-existent. Once the Flames had their half-court
  established, Khaira continued to over-pursue all the way to the side
  boards.
• Bill Muckalt, Michigan Tech asst coach: “We see
  him as a big time power forward. He skates really well, very good down
  low, strong on the puck, has good vision and great offensive instincts. I
  think he has a lot of potential to be a pro hockey player.”
• Khaira: “I think I could be a big asset in the offensive zone, holding guys off behind the zone and be a good two-way forward.”

HIS FIRST NHL GAME

• First period: 3:24, all at evens, one hit, fairly uneventful. Did get a mention on National Saturday broadcast and that’s pretty cool.
• Second period: Had a noticeable shift in the second, where he tipped the puck before center and EDM was called for icing. Mike Johnson mentioned it was first game and identified the error. Khaira then finished the shift with a nice sortie into the offensive zone.
• Second period: Two more solid shifts with Anton Lander, including a nice pass to the Swede and he got a shot off. Solid second period, getting more usage.
• Second period: 4:01, for a total of 7:25. Very good second period, I know many don’t like possession stats but he’s 6-6 50 per cent through two.
• Third period: MEMORABLE moment in front of Pittsburgh net when he intercepted a pass and got a great chance on goal. Fabulous play. I believe that was his first NHL shot on goal. Impressive.
• After three: 13-9 59% in possession. That’s crazy good. Seriously. 10:02 overall, that’s a pretty solid effort.
• One shot, three hits, one block.