Habs prospect Sam Harris idolizes Brendan Gallagher & Corey Perry

The names Brendan Gallagher and Corey Perry are well known for the Montreal Canadiens.

Canadiens prospect Sam Harris was selected in the fifth round of the 2023 NHL Draft with the 133rd overall pick. The 21-year-old product of San Diego, California, is playing out his sophomore season in the NCAA with the University of Denver Pioneers men's ice hockey team. Harris entered the Pioneers matchup on Friday night against the North Dakota Fighting Hawks with nine goals in as many games.

You guessed it, Harris recorded his 10th goal; Harris and the Hawks are hot. Don't look now, but Harris might be working his way into draft steal territory. A San Diego, California product, Harris holds dual citizenship, American and Swedish.

Drafted in the fifth round of the 2023 NHL Draft with the 133rd overall selection, Harris posted point per game (56 points in 56 games) numbers in his final United States Hockey League season. This was a jump from his first USHL season, when he played 60 games; recording just 35 points. It seems to be a habit of Harris, to increase his totals; he is already five points shy of his 2023-24 totals (21 points through 42 games) with 16 points through 11 games.

Harris is a plus 10 and six penalty minutes through the University of Denver's first 11 games of the season. Although Gallagher and Perry are two guys that he idolizes, it doesn't appear that he is on the bad side of the referees. I do hope, however, that he brings a little bit of that sandpaper to the lineup intertwined with some goalscoring touch.

The offense doesn't always translate

Something that management undoubtedly understands is that it doesn't always translate from college hockey to the professional ranks. What I mean by that is that sometimes prolific or even respectable goal scorers in college might turn out to be different players in the pros. I think the importance for any player is to develop a strong 200-foot game, but for Harris to adopt some of the gritty, hard-nosed play of Perry and Gallagher.

I could be wrong, and end up with cake in my face, which I wholesomely hope happens; but Harris could very well end up becoming a depth/character player. Which is fine, you need an array of different players within the cast to be a competitive team. I would say that packing on a little bit of weight would be ideal for Harris, so he can handle the physical demands of the American Hockey League.

Whether it's a bit of Gallagher or Perry, or a bit of both, it will be interesting to see how Harris develops and continues to play in what has looked like a breakout season.