Stu Cowan: Canadiens prospect Sam Harris wants another NCAA title

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Left-winger gained Frozen 4 championship final season with College of Denver, beating fellow Habs prospect Jacob Fowler within the ultimate.

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Stu Cowan • Montreal Gazette

Printed Jul 18, 2024 • Final up to date 7 hours in the past • 4 minute learn

Sam Harris handles the puck throughout Montreal Canadiens improvement camp on the CN Sports activities Advanced in Brossard on Wednesday July 3, 2024. Photograph by John Mahoney /Montreal Gazette

Whereas there was extra give attention to Jacob Fowler, it was Sam Harris who had some bragging rights on the Canadiens’ improvement camp this month in Brossard.

Fowler is a number one candidate to change into the Canadiens’ goalie of the long run after being chosen within the third spherical (69th general) of the 2023 NHL Draft. Harris, a 5-foot-11, 190-pound left-winger, was drafted within the fifth spherical (133rd general) the identical 12 months.

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Fowler is coming off an excellent freshman season at Boston School, the place he posted a 32-6-1 file with a 2.14 goals-against common and a .926 save proportion. Harris is coming off a freshman season on the College of Denver, the place he had 14-7-21 totals in 42 video games.

It was Harris who got here out on prime when Denver and Boston School met within the championship recreation on the NCAA Frozen 4 match in April. Denver, the No. 3 seed, beat top-seeded Boston School 2-0 for its file tenth nationwide championship — yet one more than the College of Michigan. Centre Michael Hage, chosen by the Canadiens within the first spherical (twenty first general) of this 12 months’s NHL Draft, is headed to Michigan after participating within the improvement camp.

“I’m lucky sufficient I do know Sam very effectively,” Fowler stated on the improvement camp. “He’s an excellent pal of mine. We weren’t mates that evening on the ice (within the NCAA ultimate) however super-happy for him to form of stay out that dream and be again right here at camp. There might be some chirps thrown round about that recreation.”

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Fowler and Harris had been teammates on the 2022 World Jr. A Problem in Cornwall, Ont., after they helped Staff USA win the gold medal, beating Canada East 5-2 within the ultimate.

The Canadiens drafted Harris after he posted 30-26-56 totals in 56 video games with the USHL’s Sioux Falls Stampede through the 2022-23 season. Harris was born in San Diego, however his father, Steve, was a reserve for the Canadian show-jumping group on the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. Harris performed with the San Diego Jr. Gulls on the 2015 Quebec Worldwide Pee-Wee Event and later attended Shattuck-St. Mary’s prep faculty in Minnesota, the place he was an honour-roll pupil a number of instances with a grade-point common of three.8 (or higher) out of 4. Greater than 40 gamers from Shattuck-St. Mary’s have gone on to make the NHL, together with Sidney Crosby, Nathan MacKinnon and Jonathan Toews.

Harris, who’s finding out advertising and marketing/enterprise on the College of Denver, obtained off to a gradual begin throughout his freshman NCAA season and Rob Ramage, the Canadiens’ director of participant improvement, went to go to him.

“I went and noticed him, I believe it was early February, and he was taking part in fourth line,” Ramage stated. “Form of restricted minutes.”

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Ramage is aware of Denver head coach David Carle effectively and spoke with him about Harris.

“We’ve had gamers in Denver for the final 10 years, so I do know David,” Ramage stated. “Nice coach, actually good program. Like him. He simply stated: ‘We obtained a extremely good group and he’s going to have to seek out his method as a result of proper now we’re stacked.’ They obtained some accidents. I didn’t suppose I’d return and see (Harris) and he climbed the lineup and began scoring. So I went again and noticed him play.

“It was fascinating,” Ramage added. “They performed a home-and-home with Colorado School. They misplaced in Colorado Springs the primary evening. Sam had just a few turnovers and I’m considering: Oh, boy, he’s going again to the fourth line. David threw him again on the market the following evening and he scored the game-winning aim. So nice, nice development for him. He’s obtained somewhat swagger, too. He’s a champion.”

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Harris is headed again to the College of Denver seeking to win the NCAA championship once more.

“Personally, I need to rating extra objectives than I did final season,” he stated. “The person is sweet, however I need to win the championship once more. The group we had final 12 months was so tight and simply everyone purchased into the system. It was a problem, however everyone caught collectively and we pulled it off, so I need to go back-to-back.”

NCAA eligibility guidelines gained’t permit Harris or Fowler to attend the primary Canadiens coaching camp. Harris stated he discovered lots at improvement camp, together with the best way to handle the puck higher and use his physique to guard himself by utilizing a reverse hit. He additionally discovered a brand new slide-step transfer that Nick Suzuki likes to make use of by watching video of the Canadiens captain. Harris scored three objectives within the scrimmage that wrapped up the event camp.

“It’s actually necessary for me to do what I can do right here and present everyone what I’m able to,” the 20-year-old stated. “Simply actually specializing in what I must get performed subsequent season and the 12 months after that. It’s all simply preparation to in the future hopefully play for this group and make it and earn a spot. That’s one thing I’m actually trying ahead to doing and going by that problem.

“It’s actual particular to return out right here and play for the (Canadiens) crest.”

scowan@postmedia.com

twitter.com/StuCowan1

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