Familiar foes among WHL’s top draft prospects
(Photo Credit: Barzal – Brian Liesse / Harkins – Ralph Posteraro)
By Josh Sweetland/CHL
Thursday June 25, 2015
Selected first and second overall in the 2012 WHL Bantam Draft, Seattle Thunderbirds forward Mathew Barzal and Prince George Cougars centreman Jansen Harkins have taken similar paths to junior hockey stardom, ones that continue their upward trajectory this coming weekend at the 2015 NHL Draft in Sunrise, Florida.
Both standout players from a young age, Harkins from North Vancouver, BC and Barzal from nearby Coquitlam would often find themselves squaring off against one another as kids, a competitive rivalry that continued all the way through the ranks and into their Bantam season when the two were named Hockey Now B.C. Minor Hockey Player of the Year Award co-winners.
Barzal of the Burnaby Winter Club finished his Bantam season with 55 goals, 98 assists and 153 points in 51 games while Harkins of the North Shore Winter Club equaled that total with 83 goals, 70 assists and 153 points in 74 contests.
“I’ve known Jansen now for probably six years and we’ve always battled hard with each other on the ice and are good buddies off the ice, as well,” Barzal told Hockey Now’s Andrew Chong upon receiving the award. “If there was one player I’d like to win the award with, it would be Jansen.”
The two franchise players for their respective clubs have continued to develop steadily. Barzal and Harkins have even had the chance to play together on the international stage, winning Ivan Hlinka gold medals together last August in the Czech Republic and bringing home bronze at the World Under-18 Hockey Championships in Switzerland this past April.
Barzal, who enters the 2015 NHL Draft as the 11th ranked North American skater and second ranked WHL eligible behind Brandon defenceman Ivan Provorov, overcame a knee injury he suffered in November, posting 12 goals, 45 assists and 57 points in 44 contests.
“My playmaking and skating are strengths,” Barzal, 18, told NHL.com’s Joe Yerdon. “I’ve always been a good passer since I was young. My skating is something I’ve always been good at. But when you get to the next level you have to be faster and you’ve got to make those plays at a faster speed. I’m looking forward to the challenge.”
The 6’0″, 177Ib. Barzal formulated his game after a pair of former WHL standouts.
“I was a big fan of [Ryan] Nugent-Hopkins growing up,” he continued. “He played at the same minor hockey association, so I watched him quite a bit. I was a big [Jarome] Iginla fan when I was young and [he was] playing in Calgary. I just loved the way he played.”
Travel almost 10 hours north and childhood rival Jansen Harkins also took big steps this season, leading the Prince George Cougars in scoring with 20 goals, 59 assists and 79 points in 70 contests.
Harkins, who comes in as the 15th ranked North American skater, comes from strong bloodlines that include father and current Cougars general manager Todd Harkins who played an abbreviated stint in the NHL and uncle Brett Harkins who was a longtime minor league standout, particularly with the IHL’s Cleveland Lumberjacks in the late 90’s. The younger Harkins is often credited for his intelligence and knowledge of the game, drawing comparisons to Pittsburgh Penguins two-way centreman and Red Deer Rebels graduate Brandon Sutter.
“When it all shakes out and he gets that man strength, he’s going to be a heck of a power forward for a long time,” Cougars head coach Mark Holick told The Province’s Ben Kuzma. “I have no problem putting him out in the last minute of play because he can win draws and is a real intelligent player.”
Harkins himself admits that he played with more confidence in his sophomore season after registering 34 points in 67 games as a rookie.
“I definitely tried to be more offensive this year and kind of be the aggressor,” he said. “That comes with the confidence of being more comfortable with the team and systems. A pass-first playmaker is a definition of my game, but I don’t think I’ve ever been intimidated. It’s definitely a bit of a mind game and as a 16-year-old rookie in the WHL, opportunities were minimal and you’ve really got to work at it. But it builds character and helped me a lot and believing more in what I can do. I’m demanding the puck and a bit of a perfectionist. That’s one of my weaknesses, but I try my best with everything I do.”
Barzal and Harkins were two of 48 WHL players included on the NHL Central Scouting Service Final Draft Rankings released on April 8. Other highly regarded forwards include Jake DeBrusk of the Swift Current Broncos and Nick Merkley of the Kelowna Rockets.
On the blueline, the WHL features puck-moving Russian rearguard Ivan Provorov of the Brandon Wheat Kings along with teammate Ryan Pilon. Big 6’5″, 196Ib. blueliner Brandon Carlo of the Tri-City Americans is also high on the radar of several NHL clubs.
In goal, Portland Winterhawks rookie Adin Hill leads all WHL netminders coming in as the fourth ranked North American goaltender. The 6’4″, 190Ib. Calgary, AB, native registered a 31-11-1-0 record with a 2.81 goals against-average and a .921 save percentage in 46 games this season.
Last year, the WHL had 37 players selected in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft, the highest total since 43 players were taken in 2010. A total of nine WHL players were taken in the first round last June, led by second overall pick Sam Reinhart of the Kootenay Ice who was selected by the Buffalo Sabres.
The 2015 NHL Draft gets underway on Friday at the BB&T Center in Sunrise, Florida. Sportsnet has full coverage of the first round on Friday night beginning at 6:30pm ET.
2015 NHL Central Scouting Service Final Draft Rankings
NORTH AMERICAN SKATERS – WHL
Rank | Name | Team |
7 | PROVOROV, IVAN | BRANDON |
11 | BARZAL, MATHEW | SEATTLE |
15 | HARKINS, JANSEN | PRINCE GEORGE |
19 | DeBRUSK, JAKE | SWIFT CURRENT |
22 | JUULSEN, NOAH | EVERETT |
23 | MERKLEY, NICHOLAS | KELOWNA |
24 | PILON, RYAN | BRANDON |
25 | CARLO, BRANDON | TRI-CITY |
26 | BITTNER, PAUL | PORTLAND |
35 | WAGNER, AUSTIN | REGINA |
43 | WOTHERSPOON, PARKER | TRI-CITY |
52 | NIELSEN, ANDREW | LETHBRIDGE |
56 | GUHLE, BRENDAN | PRINCE ALBERT |
59 | GAWDIN, GLENN | SWIFT CURRENT |
61 | MUSIL, ADAM | RED DEER |
65 | KOLESAR, KEEGAN | SEATTLE |
71 | GROPP, RYAN | SEATTLE |
72 | HOBBS, CONNOR | REGINA |
73 | GABRIELLE, JESSE | REGINA |
78 | SOY, TYLER | VICTORIA |
82 | REDDEKOPP, CHAZ | VICTORIA |
97 | BEAR, ETHAN | SEATTLE |
101 | STRAND, AUSTIN | RED DEER |
103 | ZBOROVSKIY, SERGEY | REGINA |
111 | HUNT, DRYDEN | MEDICINE HAT |
116 | STEPHENS, DEVANTE | KELOWNA |
118 | KARNAUKHOV, PAVEL | CALGARY |
124 | MORRISON, BRAD | PRINCE GEORGE |
126 | BRADLEY, MATTHEW | MEDICINE HAT |
127 | GENNARO, MATTEO | PRINCE ALBERT |
134 | SIDEROFF, DEVEN | KAMLOOPS |
135 | PFEIFER, TRISTEN | EVERETT |
143 | TEXEIRA, KEONI | PORTLAND |
144 | ESTEPHAN, GIORGIO | LETHBRIDGE |
146 | OLSON, TATE | PRINCE GEORGE |
161 | WEINGER, EVAN | PORTLAND |
162 | GARDINER, REID | PRINCE ALBERT |
163 | DAVIS, KEVIN | EVERETT |
165 | MCGAULEY, TIM | BRANDON |
169 | PAWLENCHUK, GRAYSON | RED DEER |
172 | PHILP, LUKE | KOOTENAY |
174 | GATENBY, JOE | KELOWNA |
176 | BROOKS, ADAM | REGINA |
177 | HEBIG, CAMERON | SASKATOON |
184 | JENSEN, KADE | LETHBRIDGE |
189 | ZIPP, MICHAEL | CALGARY |
197 | POLEI, EVAN | RED DEER |
205 | FORA, MICHAEL | KAMLOOPS |
NORTH AMERICAN GOALTENDERS – WHL
Rank |
Name |
Team |
4 |
HILL, ADIN |
PORTLAND |
7 |
MCBRIDE, NICK |
PRINCE ALBERT |
9 |
SCHNEIDER, NICK |
MEDICINE HAT |
14 |
TOTH, RYLAN |
RED DEER |
17 |
PARENTEAU, RYLAN |
PRINCE ALBERT |
19 |
INGRAM, CONNOR |
KAMLOOPS |
28 |
PAPIRNY, JORDAN |
BRANDON |
30 |
BOW, LANDON |
SWIFT CURRENT |
Written with files from Andrew Chong at HockeyNow.ca, Joe Yerdon at NHL.com and Ben Kuzma at The Province.