As Jordan Harris enters his third full professional NHL season as a defenseman, he believes the best is still ahead.

He also believes that this makes him an ideal match for Columbus.

Harris, who was traded to the Blue Jackets on Monday, arrives in the capital city to find a team and organization eager for success, having missed the postseason for the past four seasons.

Put simply, both the team and Harris himself have a great deal to prove.

He expressed during a Zoom call on Tuesday, “I believe there’s always room for more. As a player and as a person, I always feel I can contribute more. I am confident that I have more to offer as a player and I am fully aware of my game’s strengths and my capabilities.”

“I genuinely believe there is so much more I can contribute, which aligns perfectly with the team’s mentality. The team is eager, the supporters are enthusiastic. There’s a great deal of anticipation.”

Harris, a left-shot defenseman, has scored eight goals and amassed 32 points in his 131 career games with Montreal. After a four-year stint at Northeastern University, he has primarily played for the Habs in the last two seasons. Born in Haverhill, Massachusetts, Harris played for Team USA’s World Juniors squad in the 2019-2020 season and was selected by Montreal in the third round of the 2018 draft.

To put it another way, he has significant qualifications and at 24, he anticipates further developing his game. He believes Columbus is an ideal location for this, due to his past experiences playing against the Blue Jackets and positive feedback about the city and organization from ex-CBJ player and Montreal teammate, David Savard. His belief is further reinforced by current and former Ohio State players who hail from Massachusetts, such as Mason Lohrei, Gunnarwolfe Fontaine, Jake Wise, and women’s national championship player, Cayla Barnes.

“I had the opportunity to play there during my rookie year. The experience was incredible, largely due to the electrifying atmosphere and the distinctive feature of the cannon,” he expressed, “It’s thrilling. The excitement is palpable, it’s boisterous, and it appears to be a wonderful venue to play in. David Savard and other friends who attended Ohio State have all shared highly positive reviews about the Columbus area and the organization. I’m certainly very enthusiastic about it all.”

Harris also knows Sean Monahan, who recently signed a five-year contract with Columbus following his time with Montreal and Winnipeg last year. He has also met Johnny Gaudreau several times while skating in Massachusetts, where Gaudreau, also known as Johnny Hockey, made a name for himself at Boston College.

Harris stated he is eager to begin and it shouldn’t require much time for him to acclimate with the Blue Jackets.

“Harris said, “It appears to be a team of young, hungry players still striving to prove themselves, and that aligns with my current career stage. Even though I’ve been playing for a few years, I feel I still have much more to offer and am eager to demonstrate that. With new management and a new coach, there are many exciting elements present.”

Harris pointed out that transitioning to the NHL from college involves numerous factors. These include a doubled number of games compared to NCAA hockey and the divergent lifestyles players lead outside of the rink. Harris believes this experience has been a learning curve and will aid his future performance. Last season, he had a 3-11-14 line and a minus-5 rating in 56 games with the Habs.

“He stated, “Now that I’ve gained better insight and experience from the games I’ve played, I feel ready to demonstrate the skills I’ve honed during the summer. Despite not being the largest defenseman, I possess several tools to play hard defense and support the attack. I aim to incorporate more offensive tactics into my game without compromising my defensive strengths.”

“There’s a wealth of great content, and I genuinely believe I can contribute more. I’m eager to showcase it and have been actively working on it.”

Harris stated that despite being a left-shot defenseman, he is capable of playing on the right side, which he did in his freshman year at Northeastern and the previous season with the Canadiens. He discovered about the trade yesterday when he was shopping for a table at HomeGoods for his Massachusetts apartment.

“He said with a laugh, “It certainly wasn’t what I was expecting when I went into HomeGoods.”

CBJ fans should enjoy getting to know Harris, a biracial and Jewish member of the NHL/NHLPA Player Inclusion Coalition, which was recently established to promote the game’s growth. He hopes to continue contributing to this cause and further develop the sport in Columbus upon his arrival.

“He expressed his love for hockey, considering it a beautiful sport and feeling incredibly fortunate to play it daily. However, he acknowledged that life extends beyond just hockey. It’s about the impact you have on individuals and the contributions you make to your community to elevate it. He expressed a keen interest to contribute to Columbus in any way possible, a passion he confirmed he and his team are eager to pursue.”