With the trade deadline come and gone, the next real chance for Canucks general manager Jim Benning will have to significantly alter his roster and shape the future of the Vancouver Canucks is at the NHL draft in late June. A self-professed scout at heart, Benning has been making his way around the various arenas of the WHL in recent weeks, having a look at this year’s crop of draft-eligible talent.

Since “Jim Benning takes in a WHL game” has become something of a re-occurring storyline of late, we’ve decided to make a series out of it. Every time Benning is sighted at a junior hockey game, we’ll let you know who he was likely there to watch. Up first: North Vancouver’s own and current Prince George Cougars centreman and leading scorer Jansen Harkins.

The Game:

March 11th 2015, Prince George Cougars @ Kamloops Blazers
Kamloops wins 7-4. Three stars: 1. Mark McNulty (KAM) 2. Michael Fora (KAM) 3. Nick Chyzowski
View Game Summary here

The Player:

View image | gettyimages.com

Jansen Harkins, C, Prince George Cougars. 65GP, 20G-58A-78P, 1.20 Pts/GP

Harkins has been a fast riser on many draft boards this season. Starting the year off as a consensus late-first round pick, Harkins has played himself into top-15 consideration with a strong second half, pulling the Cougars into a current playoff standing with just a handful of games to go. With 38 points in 26 games before Wednesday’s action, Harkins was actually the leading scorer in the second half of the WHL season among first-time draft eligibles, out-pacing both Seattle’s Mathew Barzal and Kelowna’s Nick Merkley. A feat made more impressive when you consider the relative lack of talent in Prince George.

Adjusted for age, Harkins is the 3rd most prolific WHL’er on a per-game basis behind the aforementioned Merkley and Barzal, but he is also much more central to his team’s attack. Harkins leads all first-time draft eligible players in team points percentage (how much of his team’s total offense he has a point on), and has an even strength goal differential of 57% – far superior to the 40% number the Cougars are rocking when Harkins isn’t on the ice.

In terms of historical comparables, the WHL is relatively low scoring this season and Harkins is born in the last 3rd of his draft year, so he stacks up quite nicely to a variety of quality NHL players. Adjusting for his age and era gives Harkins a very commendable 1.29 AEAPPG (age and era adjusted points per game), and he’s listed at 6’1, 180 lbs by the WHL and 6’0.75, 177 lbs by NHL Central Scouting Services. Using MoneyPuck’s height/scoring cohort method bins Harkins in with players such as Bobby Ryan, Steve Bernier, Ryan Smyth, Jason Pominville, Stephen Weiss, and Brayden Schenn. Doing away with the height restriction puts Harkins in the same bin as Jeff Skinner, Nail Yakupov, Rick Nash, Eric Staal, and Tyler Wright as well.

Players with Harkins’ statistical profile don’t generally bust (relatively speaking, of course. As with all prospects outside the top-5, you’re usually batting around .500 with these guys), and some even have legitimate top-6 upside, if not top-3 ability. Finding a true franchise cornerstone with Harkins-types is difficult though, but it’s rare to find cornerstone pieces outside the top-5 anyways. Harkins passes the quantitative sniff test with flying colours, so what does the qualitative eye test say? For this, we’ll turn to some scouts.

First off, here’s what WHL scout and friend-of-the-blog Cody Nickolet (@DubFromAbove) had to say about Harkins in his latest WHL draft rankings:

[Harkins] might be the smartest player the WHL has to offer in this draft class, displaying elite-level hockey sense and positioning. His offensive timing is fantastic while also possessing a long and lean frame. While his skating is a knock it should be something that slowly improves as he gets stronger. Adding more quickness to his first few steps will go a long way for his offensive game.

Calling Harkins “the smartest WHL player” in this year’s draft class is lofty praise, given that both Nick Merkley and Mathew Barzal are also reputed to be high-end thinkers that make their teammates better. ESPN’s Corey Pronman echoes a similar sentiment in his top-30 draft rankings:

Harkins hasn’t ever really wowed me in viewings, although I don’t really think that’s his game, to be fair. He’s an effective all-around player who can handle the puck, set up plays, and be very effective in his own end. Harkins’ skating doesn’t look pretty, but he gets where he needs to go, even if his stride could use some cleaning up.

And here’s what McKeen’s Brendan Ross had to say about Harkins in his mid-season update back in January:

[Harkins is a] Highly competitive pivot who is always moving his feet wreaking havoc for opposing defenders. Harkins projects as a #2 or 3 energy centerman at the next level, carving out a role as a two-way all-situations forward. He’s an adept puckhandler at top speed and owns good vision as a playmaker. Reminescent of a younger Marcus Kruger.

Some may say that Harkins would be redundant in a feeder system that already features Bo Horvat, Jared McCann, and to a lesser extent, Cole Cassels and Brendan Gaunce, but if there’s one area that you want to build a surplus of premium assets in, it’s at centre. Having high-end guys able to play down your lineup is a massive advantage, and Harkins models his game after some pretty high-end guys. From an interview with Yahoo’s Buzzing the Net:

My hockey IQ is something I try to use to my advantage. I’m more of a playmaker than a shooter. Pretty good defensive forward. I try to play a well-rounded game and a complete game.
Definitely Jonathan Toews and Anze Kopitar are two guys I look up to. Their leadership and they kind of lead by example, they play every game like it’s their last. That’s what I try to do, compete and be a smart player and a good defensive player, which they both are.

Given his offensive proficiency and commitment to a two-way game, Harkins definitely sounds like a very, very good prospect.