By Drew Wilson

Harris will hunt WHL prey as a Cougar

Jun 20, 2011 | 10:07 AM

There was great anticipation the morning of the WHL Bantam Draft in Calgary.

Several members of the provincial bantam champion P.A. Venice House Pirates and their families anxiously sat at home in front of their computers to see if their names would appear.

Prince George Cougars General Manager Dallas Thompson hinted before the draft started they were keenly interested in one Prince Albert boy in particular.

That boy turned out to be defenseman Jordan Harris. His stock rose throughout the Saskatchewan playoffs and Western Canadian championships.

The Cougars selected Harris 10th overall despite his 20th overall ranking by Western Elite Hockey Prospects.

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Prince George brass wasted no time signing the six-foot-one, 170-pound prospect with anticipation building toward his first WHL training camp, said Harris.

“I was really excited to sign the contract, just to know we finally got it done and I will hopefully have a chance to play (with the Cougars) as a 16-year-old,” he said.

However, before Harris reports to training camp he will be taking part in the first ever All Canadians Mentorship program in the first week of August.

The event near Toronto put on by the NHL Players Association brings together 42 of the top bantam age hockey players from across Canada.

Once the mentorship camp and Cougar training camp are over, Harris will suit up for the provincial Midget AAA champion Prince Albert Mintos. That too will be a tremendous challenge, said Harris.

“People will have their eyes on us, really gunning for us this year, so there will be high expectations for the Mintos and for me. I think this is a big year for me,” he said.

“I hope to have a good year so that when I'm 16 in the next year I can make the jump to the WHL.”

A casual conversation with Mintos head coach Tim Leonard indicates he feels Harris will contribute.

Leonard smiled when talking about the performances of Harris and fellow Venice House Pirates defenseman Bryton Sayers (drafted in the third round by Lethbridge) when they were called up for a game last season against the Trojans in Tisdale, a difficult place for visiting teams.

The road to the WHL will be through the weight room, said Harris.

“The thing I need to improve on is my strength, upper body and core, because when I get to the WHL, hopefully if I do, the guys are a lot bigger and faster and you've got to make faster decisions and make quicker passes,” he said.

Harris put up impressive offensive numbers from the back line for the Pirates. Leonard and Thompson both said they hope he can build on the 10 goals and 34 points he totalled in just 23 games in the Centre 4 Bantam AA league.

Harris will be joined by teammate Miles Warkentine (drafted by Moose Jaw) and Raider first round pick Reid Gardiner at the mentorship camp.

dwilson@rawlco.com