Habs’ Prospect Jordan Harris: Off the Radar With Great Potential

The Montreal Canadiens have not had the best luck the past two seasons, but that could change sooner than expected with the team lining up fresh new talent in the draft.

With the 71^st overall pick in last year’s entry draft, they chose 5-foot-11, 179-pound defenseman Jordan Harris. Harris is a native of Haverhill, Massachusetts, a suburb located north of downtown Boston.

Prep League Draft Pick

Prior to being drafted by the Canadiens, Harris played three seasons at Kimball Union Academy in Meriden, New Hampshire, where he received exceptional praise from head coach Tim Whitehead.

In recent years, Kimball Union has been a powerhouse in the New England prep league. They have won the Elite 8 Championship in the past three consecutive seasons and have sent plenty of young players on NCAA hockey, as well as other high-end junior leagues. In Harris’ three years at Kimball Union, he tallied 18 goals, 64 assists, and 82 points in a total of 121 games. He was also a member of two Elite 8 title teams.

Due to the lower level of competition compared to Major Junior, the New England Prep School League does not produce many NHL Draft picks every year. In fact, Harris was one of only six players chosen in the draft from the New England Prep league. The main reason for this is general managers and scouts from the NHL find it hard to project how these young players will develop, and would rather be patient to see how things will play out when they go off to college.

Although, not many players are drafted from the Prep League on a consistent basis, the system has plenty of alumni currently playing in the NHL. Some notable alumni in the NHL include Kevin Hayes (Noble and Greenough/Winnipeg Jets), Charlie Coyle (Thayer Academy/Boston Bruins), Jonathan Quick (Avon Old Farms/LA Kings), Alex Killorn (Deerfield Academy/Tampa Bay Lightning), and Conor Sheary (Cushing Academy/Buffalo Sabres), among others.

2018-19: Northeastern University

This past year, Harris played his first year of college hockey at Northeastern University in Boston. Northeastern plays in the highly competitive Hockey East Conference under head coach Jim Madigan.

At Northeastern, Harris notched 13 points in 39 games and was a plus-21. He was also an integral part of a team that won the prestigious Beanpot Tournament and a Hockey East Championship.

Northeastern featured numerous NHL prospects, including fellow Canadiens prospect Cayden Primeau and New Jersey Devils prospect Jeremy Davies, both of whom decided to leave Northeastern early to turn professional. With the departure of Davies, who is such a crucial player for the team, coach Madigan and the Huskies will rely heavily on Harris next season to provide offence from the backend.

The Habs may have had a rough couple of years, but with so many talented young players like Harris being lined up to join the legendary Blue, Blanc et Rouge, that luck is likely to change sooner than fans could imagine.