Weekly prospect roundup: Harris starts off strong

MONTREAL - Skating. Strength. Speed. Puckhandling. Shooting. These are some of the crucial aspects that form the skill set of every single prospect that works hard enough to hear his name called at the NHL Draft.

But there's a certain characteristic that has jumped to the front of the line when analyzing prospects in recent years, something that often dictates the difference between potential and results: intelligence.
Though there's no denying well-rounded physical attributes serve players well, that advantage is lost without a central computer that can process the flood of information involved in every single shift.
It's not just a focus for the NHL -- though the Canadiens certainly do put an onus on Hockey IQ when drafting players -- it goes well beyond the best league on earth.
"One of the things we put a premium on when recruiting is smart players," said Northeastern coach Jim Madigan. "And he's really intelligent. He reads the play so well."
The player in question is none other than Canadiens prospect Jordan Harris, who wasted no time setting the NCAA on fire with a two-goal, three-assist performance in a two-game series versus Merrimack. The elite performance from the blue-liner led to Harris taking home Hockey East Player of the Week honors.

Even if we take his impressive offensive production out of the equation, Harris' season debut already went about as well as anyone could have expected, but add in a five-point weekend, and suddenly, the onus put on intelligence while drafting and recruiting makes much more sense.
In a sport where split-second decisions make the difference between a win and a loss, a player who has the ability to not only react to plays, but anticipate them, has a distinct advantage over their opponents.
For example: a defenseman must know when the time is right to join the rush. If they time their decision poorly, they will not only potentially give up a goal against, but they'll do little to improve their ice time going forward.
However, if they join the rush and thread a pass between a bevy of opponents' skates and sticks to create a perfect rush goal, it'll not only lead to a highlight reel goal such as the one posted below, it'll cement the confidence given to the player by the coach, ultimately leading to a steady increase in ice time and responsibilities.

Responsibilities such as power play quarterback duties, a role Harris has filled to perfection this season.
While it's a role that's conducive to scoring, it's also one that requires a certain level of anticipation and lightning-quick decision making, which happens to be Harris' specialty, as evidenced by his marvelous pass that led to Grant Jozefek first goal of the season.

I'd like to take a moment to break down some of the elements that make this play so special.
Harris receives the puck in a familiar setting. He's near the blue line and Merrimack is doing a fairly decent job shutting down the passing lanes.
It's decision time. Harris can simply put the puck on net and hope it leads to a rebound or scoring opportunity for his teammates. But it's not a high-reward play, the type of play that will open up passing lanes and lead to higher odds of a goal being scored
Harris decides to increase the level of difficulty on the play, which, in turn, leads to a high-reward scoring chance.
First, he needs to open up a passing lane or three. To do so, he needs to take at least one Merrimack player out of the equation.
Cue the false flag operation:
Harris doesn't sell a big slap shot, but rather a quick, low shot from the point that could lead to a rebound. It doesn't give the opponents much time to react, which is exactly what Harris is banking on; limited time to make decisions, which leads to mistakes.
Mistakes such as challenging Harris' shot.

With the opponent out of the way thanks to some nifty stickhandling, Harris opens up several options, one of which clearly grabs the attention of the goaltender.
He sells the shot to perfection, using his footwork and hands to deceive the goaltender as well as the defensemen. Again, using deceit to force his opponents into mistakes.
But Harris has no intention of shooting, he simply wants to open up the perfect passing lane, which happens to go through a few legs to land perfectly on Jozefek's stick, who then has time to file his taxes and review a few movies on IMDB.com before placing the puck in the back of the net.
It was an elite play. An aggressive play. A rewarding play. And most importantly, an intelligent play.

Harris wasn't done there, adding not one, but two goals to his weekend tally, including a perfect one-timer goal, which showed off his immaculate timing in the process.

Around the World: Prospect Wrap-up
Photo credit: Northeastern University Athletics