Bawa joined Kamloops of the WHL in 1982-83 but soon became frustrated playing major junior hockey.
"When I went to junior, left home at 16, it was a little early for me to leave home," he said. "The maturity level wasn't where it should have been. The first couple of years was tough."
Kamloops traded Bawa to Westminster at the start of the 1984-85 season, and Westminster traded him back to Kamloops midway through the season. The team was coached by Ken Hitchcock, who Bawa says "turned my career around."
Hitchcock said he observed Bawa over several practices and determined he was playing the wrong style of game.
"He was tough, he was aggressive, he was physical, he had a real edge, Hitchcock said. "The two-way game didn't interest him. He saw himself as an energy player. When we watched him in practice doing the drills, he showed skills we were impressed with.
"I sat down with him and said, 'I think you can become a 200-foot player," said Hitchcock, who won 849 games as an NHL coach from 1996-2019, fourth most in League history. " 'I think you can score. I don't think you think you can score, but I think you've got to change the emphasis.'"
Hearing that, Bawa "changed overnight," Hitchcock said, and became a go-to scorer for Kamloops. He improved from 25 points (six goals, 19 assists) in 52 games in 1984-85 to 72 points (29 goals, 43 assists) in 63 games the following season.
He capped his final season in Kamloops in 1986-87 with 113 points (57 goals, 56 assists) in 62 games.
"He was playing in excess of 20 minutes a night and he really bought into becoming a complete player," Hitchcock said. "I don't want to say it was easy but what happened was it was like a breath of fresh air for him. He saw himself in a different light. His confidence grew daily."
The Capitals showed their confidence in Bawa and signed him as a free agent on May 22, 1987. He played five games with Washington and was traded to the Vancouver Canucks on July 31, 1991.