Jujhar Khaira (born August 13, 1994) is a Canadian professional

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice hock ...

centre Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics *Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentricity ...

currently playing for the

Chicago Blackhawks The Chicago Blackhawks (spelled Black Hawks until 1986, and known colloquially as the Hawks) are a professional ice hockey team based in Chicago. The Blackhawks compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division i ...

of the

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...

(NHL). He has also played for the

Edmonton Oilers The Edmonton Oilers are a professional ice hockey team based in Edmonton. The Oilers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. They play their home games at Rogers Place, which ...

Playing career

Khaira was drafted by the Oilers after his second season in the

British Columbia Hockey League The British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL) is a Junior A ice hockey league from British Columbia under Hockey Canada and BC Hockey. Founded in Vernon in 1961, the BCHL now includes 18 teams. From 1993 to 2021, the league was a member of the Ca ...

with the

Prince George Spruce Kings The Prince George Spruce Kings are a junior "A" ice hockey team based in Prince George, British Columbia, Canada. They are members of the Mainland Division of the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL). They play their home games at Kopar Memo ...

. Shortly after the draft, Khaira committed to play collegiate hockey with

Michigan Tech Michigan Technological University (Michigan Tech, MTU, or simply Tech) is a public research university in Houghton, Michigan, founded in 1885 as the Michigan Mining School, the first post-secondary institution in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. ...

of the

Western Collegiate Hockey Association The Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) is a college athletic conference which operates in the Midwestern United States. It participates in the NCAA's Division I as a women's ice hockey-only conference. From 1951 to 1999, it operated a ...

. At the completion of his freshman season in 2012–13 with the Huskies, Khaira left college to pursue a major junior career closer to home in the

Western Hockey League The Western Hockey League (WHL) is a major junior ice hockey league based in Western Canada and the Northwestern United States. The WHL is one of three leagues that constitutes the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) as the highest level of junior h ...

with the

Everett Silvertips The Everett Silvertips are an American major junior ice hockey team currently members of the U.S. Division in the Western Conference of the Western Hockey League (WHL). The team is based in Everett, Washington, and joined the WHL as an expansion ...

. On August 7, 2013, he was signed to a three-year entry-level contract with the Edmonton Oilers after being selected in the second round of the NHL draft during the previous year. In the following 2013–14 season, Khaira posted 43 points in 59 games with the Silvertips. At the elimination in first-round of the post-season, Khaira then made his professional debut with the Oilers AHL affiliate, the

Oklahoma City Barons The Oklahoma City Barons were a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League (AHL). The team's first season was 2010–11 AHL season, 2010–11. They played their home games at the Cox Convention Center, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. H ...

, joining the club for their post-season run. In the second year of his entry-level contract, Khaira and the Oilers AHL affiliation moved to the new

Bakersfield Condors The Bakersfield Condors are a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League (AHL) based in Bakersfield, California. The team is owned by and affiliated with the National Hockey League's Edmonton Oilers. The Condors play their home g ...

. During this

2015–16 NHL season The 2015–16 NHL season was the 99th season of operation (98th season of play) of the National Hockey League (NHL). Thirty teams competed in 82-game regular season schedules from October 7, 2015 to April 10, 2016. The 2016 Stanley Cup playoffs ...

, Khaira was called up to the Oilers on November 26, 2015, playing his first NHL game against the

Pittsburgh Penguins The Pittsburgh Penguins (colloquially known as the Pens) are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division of the Eastern Conference, and have playe ...

on November 28, 2015. This made Khaira only the third player of Punjabi Indian descent to play in the NHL, after

Robin Bawa Robin N. Bawa (born March 26, 1966) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who spent parts of four seasons in the National Hockey League between 1989 and 1994. Playing career Bawa spent five productive seasons of junior hockey in the ...

and

Manny Malhotra Emmanuel Noveen Malhotra (born May 18, 1980) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre who is currently an assistant coach for the Toronto Maple Leafs of the National Hockey League (NHL). He is a former assistant coach of the Vancouver C ...

. Khaira played 15 games at the NHL level that season, earning 2 assists. Khaira was a regular with the Condors for the 2016–17 season, and occasional call up to the NHL Oilers. During his second NHL game that season, on January 16, 2017, Khaira scored his first NHL goal, against Mike Smith of the

Arizona Coyotes The Arizona Coyotes are a professional ice hockey team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Coyotes compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference and currently play at the Mull ...

. On December 9 of the same year, Khaira earned his first multi-goal game, scoring twice against

Carey Price Carey Price (born August 16, 1987) is a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender for the Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey League (NHL). He is considered to be one of the best goaltenders in the world by many colleagues, fans, ''The ...

of the

Montreal Canadiens The Montreal CanadiensEven in English, the French spelling is always used instead of ''Canadians''. The French spelling of ''Montréal'' is also sometimes used in the English media. (french: link=no, Les Canadiens de Montréal), officially ...

. Following the season, his sixth season in Edmonton, Khaira as a pending restricted free agent was not tendered a qualifying offer by the Oilers on July 26, 2021. On July 28, 2021, Khaira a two-year, $1.95 million deal with the

. His first season in Chicago was marred with injuries. Kharia missed nearly a month after suffering a concussion following a collision with

Jacob Trouba Jacob Ryan Trouba (born February 26, 1994) is an American professional ice hockey defenseman and captain of the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League (NHL). Trouba was drafted by the Winnipeg Jets in the first round, ninth overall, of th ...

on December 7. He suffered a back injury nine games after returning that required season-ending surgery. Kharia finished the season with three goals in 27 games for the Blackhawks.

Personal

Khaira's parents were prominent volleyball players in British Columbia during the 1980s. His brother, Sahvan Khaira, attends the

University of Calgary The University of Calgary (U of C or UCalgary) is a public research university located in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The University of Calgary started in 1944 as the Calgary branch of the University of Alberta, founded in 1908, prior to being ins ...

and formerly played on the Calgary Dinos men's ice hockey team in 2019-2020. Khaira is the third NHL player of Punjabi descent, following

(starting in 1989) and

(starting in 1998).

Career statistics

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Khaira, Jujhar 1994 births Living people Bakersfield Condors players Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in the United States Canadian ice hockey left wingers Canadian people of Punjabi descent Canadian Sikhs Chicago Blackhawks players Edmonton Oilers draft picks Edmonton Oilers players Everett Silvertips players Ice hockey people from British Columbia Michigan Tech Huskies men's ice hockey players Oklahoma City Barons players Prince George Spruce Kings players Sportspeople from Surrey, British Columbia

Playing career

Personal

Career statistics

See also

References

External links