Harvey-Pinard: Contract with Canadiens a dream come true

MONTREAL - Canadiens forward Rafael Harvey-Pinard addressed the media on Thursday after signing a two-year contract extension on July 3.

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Here are a few highlights from his press conference:

Please note that questions and answers have been modified for clarity and conciseness.

Rafael Harvey-Pinard on signing a two-year contract with the Canadiens:

There's no question I was super excited. I think it's another building block toward becoming an everyday player in the National Hockey League. I was really happy to be able to continue with the Canadiens for another two seasons, too. I think these next two years will provide me with a fair opportunity to prove to everyone that I deserve to be an everyday NHLer.

Harvey-Pinard on signing an NHL contract as a seventh-round draft pick:

[Signing a contract] is every little boy's dream. Today, to sign a one-way contract with the Canadiens… it was one of my dreams. I'm really happy with the process; I think I've worked really hard to get here, so this feels like a nice reward for the work that I've put in in recent years.

Harvey-Pinard on finding a place in the Habs lineup amid a congested forward group:

I definitely noticed that there are a lot of forwards [under contract]. I think it's going to make for a lot of competition at training camp. On another note, when I arrive at camp, I'm going to focus on what I can control. I believe that I can play in the NHL and it's up to me to show up to camp and prove that I should be in a favorable spot on the depth chart. I've worked all my life to prove to others that I deserve a spot [in the lineup] and it's not going to change at the upcoming camp. I'm not going to focus on the fact that we have a lot of forwards, I'm just going to focus on myself.

Harvey-Pinard on learning of the contract extension:

In fact, I was down south when it all happened. Following the draft, the negotiations really started to heat up. It all happened very fast, I was still down south when I learned of the news. Being in the warm sun was a nice way to find out about the news.

Harvey-Pinard on what he feels he needs to do to separate himself and earn a spot in the lineup:

By playing the same way I played during the last three, four months of the season and continuing to progress that way. I think I gained a lot of experience last season. Now, I need to continue playing hard on both ends of the ice and capitalizing on my scoring opportunities. One other skill I'm working hard on right now is power skating with a skating coach and it's going super well. [The goal] is to add another level to my speed and show up at camp as fast a skater as possible.

Harvey-Pinard on if there will be added pressure next season after his performance this past season:

Yeah, there might be more pressure. For me, though, the goal is to put that pressure aside, focus on my game and ignore the outside noise. I think that will be the key to success.