Jordan Harris

April 2022 – Harris has performed very well in his first NHL contests, fully displaying his high-end skating ability, intelligence, and the simplicity and effectiveness of his game. These key components of his identity as a player have transitioned to the NHL level smoothly. Harris has handled the pressure impressively well and has been especially valuable in the breakout. I may have underestimated his ceiling a bit. Many players who dominate at the collegiate level are hit with a rude awakening when they face NHL competition but that hasn’t been the case for Harris. Having played just four games, he leads all Habs this year in xGF% at 5v5 according to Natural Stat Trick, with 57.07. While regression is to be expected, this remains impressive, especially considering that the Canadiens have averaged an xGF% of 47.76% in the four games he has played, nearly 10% lower than his results. It is still early days for the left defenceman, but his playmaking ability and processing speed have stood out to me. Both of these were concerns of mine for his transition to pro hockey and his first few games have passed the test with flying colours. Sebastian High

April 2022 – With the signing of his entry-level contract, Harris put an end to the year-long saga of will-he/won’t-he sign with the Habs, as he was primed for unrestricted free agency this summer had he not been convinced the Canadiens were an adequate organizational fit for him. Alas, he signed the deal and immediately joined the NHL team on the road. Harris has played a very pro-ready game for at least a year and a half, as his fundamentals are extremely strong. He is a strong skater, has impressive mobility, tremendous gap control, and makes the right play the vast majority of the time. He does, however, hesitate to take bigger risks, defaulting to the simple and effective play rather than the high-reward and more skilled one and while he is a good puck-mover, he does not have a high-end offensive mind, which demonstrates the limitations on his ceiling as an NHLer. Harris will see NHL action before the end of the season and could conceivably win a roster spot out of training camp, but he is trending to top out as a steady #4 defenseman if his development does not go awry (which it really should not, especially with the Canadiens’ hiring of Adam Nicholas to supervise skills development). Sebastian High

March 2022 – Harris has signed his entry-level contract with the Canadiens and should be reporting to their training facilities in the upcoming week. Hadi Kalakeche

May 2021  – Harris unexpectedly decided not to sign with Montreal when his season finished, he instead decided he would play his Senior year at Northeastern. This worries some Habs fans because when he graduates after next season he will be eligible to sign with any team he chooses. However, all reports indicate that he is interested in signing with Montreal at the end of his final college season. Pablo Ruiz

March 2021 – Harris has had a hot start offensively in the NCAA with 19 points in 16 games. This start has earned him a selection as a semifinalist for the Walter Brown Award. The award goes to the best American-born Division I college hockey player in New England. Marc Bergevin said he expects Harris to sign his entry-level deal when his season is finished for Northeastern. Pablo Ruiz

March 2020 – Jordan Harris continues to play a big role for Northeastern in his sophomore season by logging a lot of crucial minutes for the team. He uses his 4-way mobility to transition the puck out of oncoming pressure and up the ice. His ability to not only move north-south but also east-west, allows him to evade pressure and gives him much more time to make an effective outlet pass and start the rush the other way. His offensive upside has really begun to take shine this season with 21 points in 31 games, and even more so in his last run of games where he has 10 points in 13 games. A decision is expected to be made at the end of the season on whether Harris goes pro or plays another year of college. Pablo Ruiz

December 2019 – Currently in his sophomore year at Northeastern University, Harris has begun to show some of the upside that he had coming out of the draft in 2018. He has always been an efficient and smooth skater, effectively using his edges and speed to control the pace of play but this season his offensive game has taken a step in the right direction. Matching the 13 points in 39 games from last season in just 18 games this year, he has shown a renewed confidence with the puck on his stick and a willingness to try to make a play. He plays with a ton of speed from the back end and will have to rely on his skating in the defensive zone to be an effective defender. He makes a good first pass and can skate in transition at the NCAA level. He fits the mould of the modern-day defenseman quite well. Likely a year or two away from making the jump to professional hockey, Harris is a player that should intrigue the Habs as he develops further. Tony Ferrari