DALLAS – In the third round of the 2018 NHL Draft, Jordan Harris became the first New England-based defenseman to come off the board. The Kimball Union blueliner was selected by the Montreal Canadiens with the 71st overall pick, all ahead of his Northeastern career getting underway in 2018-19. “It’s a whirlwind right now," Harris said. "It’s...
DALLAS – In the third round of the 2018 NHL Draft, Jordan Harris became the first New England-based defenseman to come off the board.
The Kimball Union blueliner was selected by the Montreal Canadiens with the 71st overall pick, all ahead of his Northeastern career getting underway in 2018-19.
“It’s a whirlwind right now," Harris said. "It’s a tremendous honor to be drafted by a team like Montreal with its past. I’m extremely grateful."
The Haverhill, Mass., native,, is a smooth-skating, puck-moving, left-shot defenseman. Harris doesn’t have a lot of offensive upside, but his skating and footwork on retrievals and first touch are considered high-end.
He does a good job sidestepping oncoming forecheckers, has good vision and makes smart decisions with the puck. There were numerous games in prep where he rarely had to defend, as he had the puck on his stick more often than not.
“I’m a two-way defenseman," Harris said. "I like to contribute on both ends of the ice. I like to be responsible in my D end and use my skating to get sticks on pucks, then join the rush coming back up the ice."
Harris, whose father played at UMass Lowell, fared well at the NHL Scouting Combine, finishing in the top 10 in several categories. He’s not overly physical at 5-foot-11 and 180 pounds, but he’s stronger than he looks.
In 2017-18, Harris scored six goals and had 29 assists in 37 games en route to KUA winning its second consecutive NEPSAC Elite 8 Tournament Championship.
Before becoming a true freshman for Jim Madigan’s Huskies, the 17-year-old also recently completed a five-game stint with the USHL's Youngstown Phantoms.
