Rafaël Harvey-Pinard is normally a very quiet and humble individual. The Montreal Canadiens prospect was the subject of multiple articles on danslescoulisses.com and often mentioned on RDS and TVA Sports about his shy and reserved nature.
It was somewhat of a surprise when he revealed out loud what his goal was for the 2022-23 season.
"I know what I want for next season. I want my place in Montreal. That’s going to be my goal and I will work hard this summer to make it happen. – Rafaël Harvey-Pinard during Laval Rocket end of season media scrum."
Laval Rocket head coach Jean-François Houle gave only high praise towards Harvey-Pinard. Not only because the Saguenay native was his best scorer with 21 goals, 35 assists and 56 points in 69 games, but because of the “A” that was eventually put on his jersey despite his 23 years on this planet and the high level of maturity RHP has shown.
His teammate, Devante Smith-Pelly, was also vocal about Harvey-Pinard’s skillset.
"[RHP] reminds me of [Brendan Gallagher]... They're the exact same... No offence to my friend Gally, but I think Raf is more skilled. He's probably been our best player" - Devante Smith-Pelly
— Jared Book (@jaredbook) June 12, 2022
It’s not the first time that comparisons were made between Harvey-Pinard and Gallagher. Both have an extremely similar physique, both being 5’9″ with RHP weighing 174 lbs and Gallagher 184 lbs and both have showed similar skills.
The popular argument amongst a certain group of fans is that the team doesn’t need more players under 6 feet tall. We’re about to start a new term in sports called “tallism” because this isn’t the 80’s and 90’s anymore where players need to look like Hulk Hogan in order to play in the NHL anymore.
I’m of the opinion that Harvey-Pinard could benefit from another full season in the AHL and keep playing big minutes. His future in the NHL could be in a Top-9 role and there are some aspects of his game that still need to improve in order for him to survive the 82 game grind of an NHL season.
The fact that Harvey-Pinard is hungry and has managed to translate his skills from the QMJHL to the AHL seamlessly is incredible. Let’s develop him properly and he’ll become a fan favorite in no time.
Want your voice heard? Join the A Winning Habit team!