Introduction
Let me say this again this year. Jordan Harris is among, if not the most underrated young defenceman in the Montreal Canadiens organization. He gets mentioned in just about every trade proposal involving the Habs, but it seems like most folks are writing him off as a sixth or seventh defenceman. I always believed his simple yet effective game would translate well to the pro level, yet I never expected him to be such a well-rounded player. Now, because of how crowded the Canadiens’ blue line is getting, it feels like Harris has been pushed down the depth chart.
I still firmly believe Harris has a spot as a fourth or fifth option on the team, even with the influx of new talent. He may not be the flashiest player on this list, but his overall game brings an element sorely missing in a few prospects who rank higher than him.
This year he falls from 14th to 17th, but that only reaffirms to me how underrated he is. I believe he is well on his way to establishing himself as a solid, borderline second-pairing defenceman.
Voting
The voting was fairly spread out, with the lowest rank being 25th and the highest being 10th. Most staff had him between 13-17, with a few outliers ranking him in the 20s. He has the largest voting range of any player in the top 21 of the countdown
I am yet again the top believer. In my eyes, he appears to be a solid defenceman who can play with pace and chip in offensively. Not everyone regards him as one of the very top young blue-liners in the organization, but a placing within the top 20 is still a feat in the current pool.
There aren’t many tallies as clean as Harris’s in the community votes this summer, a normal distribution around 16th place.
T25U25 History
| 2023: #14 | 2022: #9 | 2021: #9 | 2020: #16 | 2019: #25 | 2018: #30 |
This is Harris’s second drop in a row after holding steady in his first few seasons. This is his seventh and final year of eligibility in this project and he finishes it at 17th. Overall, for a third-rounder, he has done well to establish himself at the NHL level.
History of #17
| Year | #17 |
|---|---|
| 2023 | Arber Xhekaj |
| 2022 | Rafaël Harvey-Pinard |
| 2021 | Riley Kidney |
| 2020 | Lukas Vejdemo |
| 2019 | Lukas Vejdemo |
| 2018 | Cayden Primeau |
| 2017 | Simon Bourque |
| 2016 | Daniel Audette |
| 2015 | Noah Juulsen |
| 2014 | Christian Thomas |
| 2013 | Jacob de la Rose |
| 2012 | Mac Bennett |
| 2011 | Mac Bennett |
| 2010 | Joonas Nattinen |
Strengths
‘[Harris’s] hockey IQ and skating make me really hopeful about what is in store for this player. What’s more, his playing style, his attention to detail, and relative abilities with the puck give me many reasons for optimism.’ I said this in 2021, reiterated it last year, and I still fully believe it.
As we know, the current makeup of this Canadiens team isn’t helping defencemen look incredible. Yet Harris is one of the few who had 50%-plus goal share at five-on-five. He showed that even at the NHL level he has a well-rounded game, while also being a stable element defensively, all while having a rotating cast of partners. As seen in the chart below courtesy of Jason Paul, Harris was among the most effective defencemen on what was an otherwise porous Canadiens team.
Harris brings a mix of offence and defence for what some consider a ‘smaller’ player. A jack of all trades, he has good speed, good gap control, is defensively aware, has a decent transition game, and can chip in offensively when possible. Obviously, at 5’11” and 180 pounds, he isn’t a towering specimen who crushes his opponents. Rather, he is very smart with the puck, and plays to his strengths.
If we delve a bit deeper, we can easily observe the subtle traits that make his overall game so well-rounded. He is a good skater who works his edges well. He makes a good first pass and walks the blue line in order to open shooting and passing lanes. He knows when to pick his spots, understanding and recognizing offensive and defensive opportunities.
Harris is adept at circling into the offensive zone and pushing back opposing attackers to open up lanes. He is not a volume shooter, preferring to pick his moments to shoot the puck or try to weave a pass in. He calculates the risk and chooses when to push the play forward, and is rarely seen out of position due to his skating ability. He closes the gap quickly and gets back into a defensive position to resume the rush the other way. He can cover large swaths of ice in just a few steps, then use his lateral movement to increase his defensive range.
He protects the puck well, knows how to use his stick for gap control, is good at puck distribution from his own zone, and understands when to try an outlet pass. He stands out the most is in his ability to defend against opposing rushes, often preventing them outside of his zone before they can become a threat. Harris plays a more cerebral, calculated game than some of his peers. He understands how to read the plays developing in front of him and knows what to do once an opportunity presents itself.
Weaknesses
As much as Harris’s transition and defensive games shine when he activates himself, he still has a few shortcomings. It’s tough to really latch onto a single thing he does poorly, but he also doesn’t have one standout ability.
His lack of prowess in the offensive zone is the main reason for his standing on the list. He gets a few opportunities during a game, but often prefers to let others do the work offensively. He needs to jump on those key offensive opportunities and add a certain layer of complexity to complete his skill set. As of right now, his offensive output and plays are rather simplistic. He doesn’t use his speed and agility to create harder plays to read for opposing defences, and he lacks deception in his attacks.
I think it’s fair to say that after a few years in the NHL, Harris isn’t looking like he would be a strong point-producer. That aspect of his game should be the focus for this year, as his defensive acumen is already fairly strong. Adding a level of deception to his offensive game would go a long way into knowing if he’ll fall more on the side of being a fourth/fifth defenceman or fifth/sixth option.
Projection
Harris is an intriguing player. He is not the most imposing physical presence à la Arber Xhekaj, nor the guy who will wow you with sheer skill like Lane Hutson, but rather the type of defenceman you need in your defence corps if you wish to win a Stanley Cup. He isn’t flashy, but everything he does he does fairly well.
What you’ll get with Harris is a little bit of everything: a smart, solid, two-way defenceman who has everything needed to be a steady presence on a blue line for years to come. He is the glue that keeps your pairings well-balanced. He will never receive much hype, but he is a quality player who will have a spot on an NHL blue line. If the Canadiens are smart about it, they would do well to keep him around for the future, especially to help with the talent coming up in the next few years.
Harris is the same type of underrated player Artturi Lehkonen was in Montreal. When you have him, you take what he does for granted and don’t realize all the little things he does well. Once gone, you come to realize he was a better player than you gave him credit for.
As it stands, Harris will need to keep improving and finding ways to up his production as more and more defencemen start breathing down his neck. There are enough specialists in the system to combine their talents for more than what Harris can provide a pairing on his own, so he will need to stay one step ahead of the next group of players coming into the system.
Jérôme Bérubé from HockeyProspect.com joins the podcast to give his thoughts on Jordan Harris, and the defensive situation in Montreal/Laval:
1:15 – Jordan Harris’ new contract.
6:30 – The strengths of Jordan Harris
9:15 – Emulating Josh Gorges, a recipe for success.
10:30 – His future in Montreal, or somewhere else?
14:30 – Expectations for the season?
17:38 – Commercial Break
17:45 – A defensive line up after training camp.
