Kamloops Blazers’ Charles Inglis speaks out about his outlaw reputation

Whether it is just or unjust, Charles Inglis has developed an outlaw-like reputation in the Western Hockey League.

He has been called the "Sean Avery of the Dub" among junior hockey circles. The comparison to Avery doesn't sit well with the 20-year-old centre, though.

"I hate the comparison to Sean Avery," says Inglis, who has racked up 431 penalty minutes in 282 games. "I don't want to be like him or compared to him."

Nonetheless, similar to how Avery had problems with the Dallas Stars and New York Rangers, Inglis has been the centre of attention for all the wrong reasons in more than one WHL dressing room. He has been traded three times throughout his five seasons, leaving the Saskatoon Blades, Prince George Cougars, and Red Deer Rebels on sour notes.

It all started in Saskatoon. As a young teenager, Inglis didn't handle himself as the Blades expected him to. They didn't put up with his shenanigans, trading him to the Cougars after two seasons.

Inglis doesn't deny he made his share of mistakes in Saskatoon. He feels his departure from The Bridge City Boys was his own wrongdoing.

"I was very young when I was in Saskatoon," says Inglis. "I was only 16 and 17-years-old. I wasn't very mature at that age. I didn't act like I should have. I brought that trade on myself."

In his first year in Prince George, Inglis broke out on the score sheet, netting 32 goals and 60 points in 69 games. It appeared the 6-foot, 175-pounder was on the right path to becoming one of the WHL's top goal scorers.

However, Inglis' time in Prince George went from good to bad to ugly in a hurry. After just 16 games in his second season with the club, Cougars GM Dallas Thompson sent him home before trading him to Red Deer.

"I knew they were looking for any excuse to trade me," says Inglis. "I went four games without scoring and that was a good enough reason for them. I don't think I was given a fair chance in Prince George."

Inglis believes his reputation was unfairly dragged through the mud in Prince George.

"I think in Prince George people got the wrong idea of me," says Inglis. "I don't think a lot of people actually know what went on there."

Falling out with Thompson

It is clear as day that Inglis didn't see eye to eye with Thompson. Through his eyes, Thompson never gave him a fair shake in Prince George.

"(Cougars GM) Dallas Thompson never liked me. He treated me poorly and I thought it was very unprofessional. He actually treated others players even worse than me. Some stuff he would do was just bad. I would stick up for those guys and he didn't like that."

It is safe to say Thompson would have had a different interpretation of the story. But the Cougars' long-time GM politely declined to comment on the incident.

After being told to go home until they find a suitor for him, Inglis didn't like how everything played out with the Cougars.

"I really didn't like how they treated me when they sent me home," says Inglis. "Dallas found like the worst bus route he could find and bought me a ticket on that bus. I think there were like five stops on that route. I didn't want to spend 18 hours on a bus so I went to the airport and my grandma bought me a ticket. Dallas took credit for buying me that plane ticket, but he didn't actually pay for it. He also handed me some of my equipment in a garbage bag when I was sent home. Not all of my equipment was in there either. They shipped the rest of my equipment to Red Deer when they traded for me."

Even though Inglis felt disrespected by being put on a charter bus, riding the bus is business as usual in the Dub. It doesn't seem out of the ordinary for a player to be sent home on a bus since he travels to all of his road games on a bus.

There seemed to be a difference of opinion in Red Deer between GM-head coach Brent

Sutter and former head coach Jesse Wallin, who was let go the same day Inglis was sent home, on where Inglis stood in their organization.

According to Kamloops This Week and Inglis himself, Wallin and the Saskatoon, SK., native had a great relationship. Wallin thought highly enough of Inglis to recommend his services to the Kamloops Blazers organization after he was axed.

Inglis is confident that he would still be in Red Deer if Wallin was still their general manager and head coach.

"I have no doubt that I would still be in Red Deer if Wallin was still there," says Inglis, who has potted 11 goals and 15 points in 24 games this year. "We got along just fine. He told me he would give me a lot of ice time if I worked hard for him and gave it my all. And I did just that. I worked as hard as I could for him. I really liked him as a coach."

Sutter on the other hand, said without saying that Inglis was divisive in the dressing room on The Team 1260's Pipeline Show on November 16.

"Well I'll put it this way, at this point in time he was the leading goal scorer on the team, he was the leading scorer on the team and when a general manager has to send him home...I don't think I need to say anymore than that," says Sutter on The Pipeline Show.

Despite his rocky track record, the Blazers traded a conditional fifth-round bantam pick in 2015 to the Rebels for Inglis.

From the Blazers' perspective, they had an overage opening with Jordan DePape calling it quits after suffering a shoulder injury that required season-ending surgery. They undoubtedly wouldn't be able to land a player as talented as Inglis, who has 92 goals and 173 points in 282 games to his name, for a measly fifth-round bantam pick from any other team.

Kamloops GM Craig Bonner didn't make the trade without thinking twice, though. He did his due diligence on Inglis.

"We put a lot of thought into trading for Inglis," says Bonner. "We asked a lot of different people on their thoughts on him. After doing all of that, we felt confident in trading for him."

Inglis has the opportunity to end his major junior career on a bright note. With the 20-6-1-1 Blazers being one of the WHL's top contenders, Inglis' strong two-way play could undoubtedly help them make it to Saskatoon this May to battle it out with the CHL's best for the MasterCard Memorial Cup.

"It would be great to end my junior career with a championship," says Inglis. "We have a great group of guys. I'm happy to be a part of a team like this."

Kelly Friesen is a Buzzing the Net columnist for Yahoo! Sports. Follow him on Twitter @Kelly Friesen. Contact him at Friesenkelly@live.ca