Winnipeg Jets select C Jansen Harkins (2/17)

[ps241]

Sounds like he has great character as well.

Off the charts for character and IQ.

 

[R S]

Mega value snag

http://whl-from-above.blogspot.ca/2015/05/final-whl-rankings-2015-nhl-draft.html

#4 Jansen Harkins

Team: Prince George Cougars
Position: C
Shoots: L
Height: 6’1.25
Weight: 182
GP: 70
Goals: 20
Assists: 59
Points: 79
Pts/Gm: 1.13
PIM: 45

Player Analysis: Jansen Harkins is a smart playmaking centre for the Prince George Cougars…biggest strength is the way he thinks the game and subsequently sees the ice…displays an extremely mature understanding of how to make a difference in all zones…very strong positionally…his hockey smarts and length really show well in the defensive game giving him value as a potential top-end two-way centre at the next level…his hockey sense is matched by his willingness to work hard in all three zones…a blue collar type of forward although he could develop a bit more grit to his game regarding being tough to play against…could also stand to be stronger on his stick during 1 on 1 battles…excels when it comes to offensive timing, arriving at the right spots at the right times…ends up around the net very often, showing versatility in how he arrives there…is long and lean with his extensive reach helping aid him in playmaking…protects the puck well during the playmaking game and takes advantage of his long arms when it comes to putting pucks around or through defenders or under their sticks…is comfortable playing on his backhand…picks his spots when it comes to shooting but could probably stand to put more pucks on net…shot would be classified as only ok for me at this point…doesn’t seem to have the release or the power in his shot to beat goalies from overly deep distances as things stand right now…is definitely a pass-first player in the big scheme of things…

skating is only slightly above average right now, despite decent fundamentals…has a long stride and a look like he has big feet and skinny legs, leading to a lack of immediate speed out of the gate…top speed is passable once he gets the engine running at full steam and it is surely good in open ice…footwork is a little clumsy and needs to be refined in tighter spaces…skating fundamentals aren’t a huge negative but he needs to improve his lower body co-ordination and edgework especially as he gets taller and heavier…currently lacks that separation gear that you like to see…with that being said, I think his skating would have stuck out far more at the World Under-18’s than it did, had it been a bigger concern…his father Todd played in the NHL and was listed at 6’3 so more growth should be expected…is the kind of player that really grows on you the more you watch him as you start to see the smart little subtleties he brings to the table…was used as the Cougars top centre this season while also being a key player on both the powerplay and penalty kill…spent 14 of their final 15 regular season games on a line with Chase Witala and Zach Pochiro…

also had Brad Morrison on his wing fairly frequently this season…set a franchise record for assists this season with 59…would classify him as a bit more of a project than some of the other guys in the draft just due to the amount of height and weight that could still be on the way for him, mixed with his rather unrefined look at times…put up 6 points in 5 games at the Ivan Hlinka tournament in 2014 while also captaining Team Pacific at the World Under 17’s…can be seen as fairly raw but definitely had a strong year considering an apparent lack of pure offensive depth with the Cougars this year…showed a nice uptick in production as the year wore on with 1.05 PPG up until December 31st and a 1.17 PPG rate after that point…finished 2nd in primary assists among first-year draft-eligible forwards with 35, trailing only Nick Merkley who had 45…finished 2nd in points among all first-year draft-eligible WHL forwards, once again trailing only Merkley…had the 3rd best PPG rate among that same group of forwards, trailing Merkley and Mathew Barzal…registered 0.74 even-strength points-per-game this year, the 2nd highest mark of any first-year draft-eligible WHL forward…either scored or assisted on 36.24% of all Cougars goals during the regular season, the 3rd best mark among first-year draft-eligible WHL forwards this year…was T-8th in goals among all first-year draft-eligible WHL forwards with 20, with 16 of those coming at even-strength….

was recognized as the Prince George Cougars MVP for the 2014-15 season…was the 2nd overall pick behind Mathew Barzal in the 2012 WHL Bantam Draft by the Prince George Cougars…his style of play regarding his skating, sense, defensive responsibility, playmaking lean and mature attitude remind me a lot of Paul Stastny…while I don’t think he has as high of offensive potential as the 3rd-ranked Nick Merkley does, I think he has more 200-foot tools, projects to play centre 100% (unlike Merkley) and has a more appealing frame…the 3-4 position on this list was one I went back and forth on frequently down the stretch this year, ending up as one of my toughest decisions overall…I think Harkins projects to be a complete second line centre who can play in any situation without hurting you, even though he might take 3-4 years to reach an NHL team’s bottom 6…I expect him to come off the board some time between the 15th and 25th selections in June and will offer a bucket full of value if for some wild reason he falls out of the 1st round…

 

[jetkarma*]

Not a huge fan of the player, but excellent value once again.

Connor and now Harkins. Roslovic is the only question mark thus far.

Not for all , three extremely competitive talented smart picks .

 

[jetkarma*]

Absolutely love this pick. We just destroyed out center depth with upgrades.


No way 2 of these three don't pan out IMO

There you go , it's ok be enthusiastic when you have a true conviction

Of course things have to play out , but these three picks ? We hit a stand up triple at the least imo .

 

[ComplexChris]

Pretty ecstatic when I found out that we got him. This guy is totally a steal at 47. WOW

 

[Johnny HFBOARDS]

Great pick, guys. Here's my video on him!

#13 Zach Pochiro, Drafted by St. Louis Blues round 4 #112 overall 2013. I like that guy's play even more in that video.

 

[garret9]

I was meh on him at 25 but was willing to take him.
At 47 I'm pretty happy.

I was sleeping still when Harkins got picked so Rhys covered me on this one haha:

Hey guys and gals,

Instead of spamming by constructing bunch of new threads, I thought I'd keep it simple and just have all our post-draft profiles on the Jets selections here in one location.

17th Overall - Kyle Connor
By the Numbers - Kyle Connor
Some quotes from Kyle Connor

25th Overall - Jack Roslovic
By the Numbers - Jack Roslovic

Jets Nation Day One Recap

47th Overall - Jansen Harkins

78th Overall - Erik Foley

108th Overall - Michael Spacek

168th Overall - Mason Appleton

198th Overall - Sami Niku

203rd Overall - Matteo Gennaro

 

[Grind]

There you go , it's ok be enthusiastic when you have a true conviction

Of course things have to play out , but these three picks ? We hit a stand up triple at the least imo .

I have some thing more then conviction, I have DATA!!!!!

 

[EastRiver]

I loved this pick when I saw it and love it even more after RS post.

 

[jetkarma*]

I have some thing more then conviction, I have DATA!!!!!

Data just provides conviction or questions .

I have some thing more then conviction, I have DATA!!!!!

And my comment was to the 2 of 3 pan out for the crowd that downplays those positions

 

[Grind]

Data just provides conviction or questions .



And my comment was to the 2 of 3 pan out for the crowd that downplays those positions

Well its just probability. I mean its not NO chance, but harkins and roslovic combine for about 80% success. With connor at 70% I'm pretty stoked

 

[jetkarma*]

Well its just probability. I mean its not NO chance, but harkins and roslovic combine for about 80% success. With connor at 70% I'm pretty stoked

I get that , but strictly based on play and potential and the character , they are much more probable to play in the NHL than not . That is a statement I am 100% comfortable in making .

Of course things happen but the more high probable picks and prospects you have the more likely you get talent that makes the parent club .

BTW I felt and said we'd go two USHL players , glad we did , love what people are saying about these players . Add Harkins and Spacek and this may indeed be our best overall draft .

 

[DudeWhereIsMakar]

Chevy hits a home-run again!

 

[VictoriaJetsFan]

Really confident Harkins becomes an NHL regular. This reminds me of when Barbashev slipped into the second round awhile back.

 

[Romang67]

Honestly, I don't understand why he dropped so far. Normally when a player who's ranked high drops, it's because questionable character, bad draft year, lack of size, poor showing in international tournaments or something like that.

He was a pick in the 24-30 range in almost all rankings I've seen, his work ethic has been praised, he had good offensive output, has good size, good defensively. I wouldn't have been unhappy with him at #25.

 

[Jetabre]

Honestly, I don't understand why he dropped so far. Normally when a player who's ranked high drops, it's because questionable character, bad draft year, lack of size, poor showing in international tournaments or something like that.

He was a pick in the 24-30 range in almost all rankings I've seen, his work ethic has been praised, he had good offensive output, has good size, good defensively. I wouldn't have been unhappy with him at #25.

Don't understand it either but holy crap I'm beyond happy that it happened. Harkins was one of my favourite prospects for the draft.

Definite "Wtf was he still doing there at 47" potential going forward.

 

[Sweech]

Honestly, I don't understand why he dropped so far. Normally when a player who's ranked high drops, it's because questionable character, bad draft year, lack of size, poor showing in international tournaments or something like that.

He was a pick in the 24-30 range in almost all rankings I've seen, his work ethic has been praised, he had good offensive output, has good size, good defensively. I wouldn't have been unhappy with him at #25.

His skating is seen as a little "meh" and his shooting isn't deemed as anything great, but I totally agree. As a total package I can't conceive as to why he fell so far.

 

[GJF]

I think we have to accept that the 2015 NHL Draft, as expected, was special. Special occasions lead to special developments as opposed to what the broad agreement looks like. Many players falling for no particular reasons, many teams reaching for no particular reasons.

 

[Sweech]

I think we have to accept that the 2015 NHL Draft, as expected, was special. Special occasions lead to special developments as opposed to what the broad agreement looks like. Many players falling for no particular reasons, many teams reaching for no particular reasons.

2013 was pretty similar I think. Although this one looks better.

The most important thing is I think we capitalized on it. Would have helped to grab some extra 2nds and 3rds like we had in 2013, but we had an extra 1st and we did good.

 

[GJF]

2013 was pretty similar I think.

The most important thing is I think we capitalized on it. Would have helped to grab some extra 2nds and 3rds like we had in 2013, but we had an extra 1st and we did good.

That'll do pig. That'll do.

 

[BrianFromAIH]

Really confident Harkins becomes an NHL regular. This reminds me of when Barbashev slipped into the second round awhile back.

I'd have to agree. Pretty sure he becomes our second line centre in a few years.

 

[VictoriaJetsFan]

I'd have to agree. Pretty sure he becomes our second line centre in a few years.

Have been fortunate to see him play three times live, have all the Victoria Royals/Prince George Cougar games noted for next year.

One skill that comes up, not often enough, is his ability to pass. He is quite good and finding open guys and creating offense.

When people wanted Merkley I was concerned, Harkins 79 points on a bad team was more impressive than's Merkley's 90 on a stacked team.

 

[Flair Hay]

Did anyone see the guy's press conference? He sounds like he's 30...intelligence isn't much without maturity and this kid sounds about as mature as they come for 17-18.

 

[VictoriaJetsFan]

What a truly great weekend the jets had...

 

[Flair Hay]

What a truly great weekend the jets had...

It's a heck of a feeling to know that you can sit back and have an earned trust in who your GM takes and why. It seems like he's getting better an an overall GM too as opposed to worse. He's even sniffing around all the blockbuster trades now haha

Getting Harkins where we did was about as close to a perfect 2nd round pick as we can get.