1. Jordan Harris
The one player who has seen his stock rise the most lately is Jordan Harris. The American defenseman was taken in the third round of the 2018 NHL Draft, just a few spots after Hillis was selected. Like I said earlier, third round picks are no guarantee, though the Habs recent third round picks have obviously made an impression.
Harris was drafted after a terrific prep school career in New Hampshire. He played last season as a freshman at Northeastern University where he was teammates with Cayden Primeau. Harris was steady in his first year and showed some promise for a third round pick. He scored one goal and 13 points in 39 games for Northeastern.
This season, Harris stepped up and became a key player for the Huskies. He took on more minutes than he had played in his first season and was leaned upon in all situations for the Huskies. He provided more offence, scoring three goals and 21 points in 33 games before the season was cancelled. Harris was also one of the team’s best shutdown defenders, often on the ice when the team was shorthanded or needed to hang on to a late lead.
Harris is a left-shooting defender but showed an ability to play on either side of the ice. This came in clutch for the American team at the World Juniors, who were heavy on left shooting defensemen and needed some of them to play their off side.
In five games at the World Juniors, Harris scored one goal and played a smart, defensive game for the Americans. He showed that same steady, reliable defence all year for Northeastern and added a nice dose of offence to his game as well.
His ability to play both sides of the ice and at both ends of the rink make Harris a unique defender. He has all the tools to become a reliable third or maybe even second pairing defenseman who keeps mistakes to a minimum and plays a great defensive game while getting involved offensively from time to time.