Jansen Harkins —
UPDATE – Selected by the Winnipeg Jets in the 2nd round with the 47th overall pick.
Winnipeg Hockey Talk’s evaluations of the 2015 NHL Entry Draft top prospects continue today with our featured prospect Jansen Harkins.
League: WHL Team: Prince George
Position: C Shoots: Left
DOB: May 23, 1997 Birthplace: North Vancouver, BC
Height: 6’1 Weight: 185
2014-15 WHL Stats: Regular season
Games: 70 G: 20 A: 59 Pts: 79 PIM: 45 Plus/Minus: +7
2014-15 WHL Stats: Playoffs
Games: 5 G: 0 A: 4 Pts: 4 PIM: 2 Plus/Minus: -2
Jansen Harkins played this past season in the WHL for the Prince George Cougars.
Achievements:
1. Drafted in the 1st round, 2nd overall by the Prince George Cougars in the 2012 WHL Bantam Draft.
2. Represented Team Canada won a Gold Medal at the U18 Ivan Hlinka Tournament.
3. Played for Team Orr in the 2015 CHL Top Prospects game.
4. Represented Team Canada won a Bronze Medal at the U18 WHC.
Offensive Buzzwords
Jansen Harkins is a hard-working, two-way center with very good hockey sense. Harkins would be considered a play-making center with good offensive instincts. He is strong on the fore-check, sees the ice very well, reads the play, and uses his line-mates effectively. He is unspectacular but very solid.
Skating
Jansen Harkins is an average skater with good straightaway speed and decent balance and agility. He gets around the ice pretty well but can sometimes look a little awkward. His skating is a work in progress and is improving. It is not a deterrent in his game.
From Cody Nickolet: website – whlfromabove
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 …
#12 Jansen Harkins: video – 3:02 seconds
Defensive Buzzwords
Jansen Harkins is very solid in all three zones, a true 200 foot player. He competes hard and he is rarely in a bad defensive position. There are no holes in his defensive game.
Comparison
Sean Couturier – Philadelphia Flyers
Prospect Analysis
Jansen Harkins has been aptly called a “blue-collar” center by many and that is a very good way to describe him. I see him projecting as a top six forward probably centering a second or third line with the ability to see some action on the PP and be a top player on the PK. He has enough offensive game to score at the next level but it’s his defensive game that will keep him there. I see him being picked in around where the Winnipeg Jets pick at #25 but he could fall to early in the second round.
Projected: #24 – #30
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