Out of curiosity, did you watch the recent games ? Harris seems like a lock
I did.
If I thought he was a lock I'd put him there. Let's not go overboard with the kid. Again, I've been following him a long time since I live Haverhill. Not a lot of pro athletes from here (former MLB Carlos Pena and for another celeb- Rob Zombie).
He's progressed a lot since what I first saw of him a couple years ago at Kimball (where I know some people who teach and attend there as families). But there are still some holes in his game. Last year was the 1st year he played in a high level of hockey and he did great, mostly based on his great physical skills. But right now he still makes some questionable decisions with the puck. When retrieving pucks he sometimes turns back into pressure and ends up making passes that turn into icings or loss of possession when a simpler play would work. He also sometimes gets away with it because his skating is so good.
He's going to need at least his Soph & JR seasons at N.E. and probably a year of AHL before he's close to being NHL ready. Be happy that you got a great athlete with physical gifts who took a huge step forward last year. But he's not a lock over the 6 locks I said. Since you watched too, you probably saw Krygier who played very well for Team USA. I can see them going that way instead.
I like Harris' upside compared to several of the guys on Team USA, but upside and what it might become at 24 isn't the same as readiness at age 19.