Harkins battling for spot on Jets roster

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This article was published 29/09/2023 (737 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Jansen Harkins won’t waste time worrying about what those in a similar situation to him are doing.

Sure, the 2015 second-rounder recognizes he’s in a battle at Winnipeg Jets training camp, but that’s the way he’s always approached things — whether he was a rookie pro coming out of junior or a guy heading into the final year of his contract, as he is now.

“Every camp in Winnipeg is deep. I’ve never come in once and it’s been an easy way to get on the team,” said Harkins, who suited up in his third preseason game Friday night against the host Ottawa Senators. “Bottom six, top six, I think we kind of have it all. For me, it’s just trying to focus on myself and not really try to look too far past that. All I can control is what I can do.

“The coaches are going to see and do whatever they do. Competition is competition, so just try to go out there and do my best.”

That sounds like a logical approach and it’s clear Harkins gained plenty of perspective from the time he spent with the Manitoba Moose of the American Hockey League last season.

The unexpected demotion was tough to accept at first, but Harkins, now 26, seized the opportunity to go from limited minutes to playing a starring role, even if it was in the minors. The emotional toll of scratching and clawing for limited minutes was replaced by being leaned on heavily in all-important situations.

Harkins responded, revitalized by finding the back of the net with regularity, finishing his Moose stint with 25 goals (which led the team) and 50 points in just 44 games, before adding four goals and seven points in five games during the Calder Cup playoffs.

The last time he produced at this pace was in the Western Hockey League and it was refreshing for Harkins to be counted on to play a pivotal role.

“It’s huge. It was three or four years fighting, grinding for a couple minutes a night,” said Harkins, who has 13 goals and 27 points in 154 games with the Jets over four NHL seasons. “That can be tough, for sure. Just trying to kind of stay in it mentally sometimes is tough, and to be able to go down and regain some confidence with the puck and some confidence within myself, just being an offensive player.

“That’s kind of what’s fun for me and something I want to be able to do at the NHL level. If it’s gotta start in the minors and build it there, so be it. I’m here at camp to show what I can do, and hopefully I can do that.”

Harkins was measured in his response to a question about how he assessed last season.

“I don’t know about reflection. I just try to go out there and play my best hockey,” said Harkins. “Obviously, disappointment in last year, coming out of camp and being in the minors. I fought my way back up, and happened to spend my second half back down. Really just trying to make the most of it and use the playing time, the coaches and all the help they were giving me, to go out there and get some confidence and just play my game.”

The task for Harkins is to convince Jets head coach Rick Bowness he deserves to move back up the depth chart after getting passed by several players last season.

“He was one of the better players when he went down to Manitoba. He’s got to show us that he’s better than what we’ve got up here, the guys we kept last year,” said Bowness. “So, we give him these chances in the exhibition. We know what we’ve got on our left side. He’s got to show us that he’s better than those guys. Simple as that.”

Harkins, who can become an unrestricted free agent at the end of this season for the first time in his career, is right in the thick of the battle with several players such as David Gustafsson, Dominic Toninato, Kristian Reichel and Parker Ford when it comes to the 13th forward position.

“He works. He’s a worker. And he’s doing it, he’s playing exactly how we expect him to play. He’s on the puck, he works and he digs,” said Bowness. “You’re going to notice him because of his work ethic. And he’s a good skater, he’s strong on his feet and he’s getting in there and getting his nose dirty at times.”

ken.wiebe@freepress.mb.ca

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