Harrington takes his game up a level
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A year ago, Nate Harrington wouldn’t have imagined he would be selected in the Western Hockey League draft.
Fast forward 12 months, and the 14-year-old defenceman from Edmonton is looking forward to attending his first training camp with the Brandon Wheat Kings in August.
“It was definitely very cool because of where I was last year,” Harrington said. “I wasn’t very good last year so it’s definitely cool to see my name up there.”
Nate Harrington, who has spent his entire hockey career on the blue-line, made a massive jump in his major under-15 season when he began to play prep hockey at OHA Edmonton. (Submitted)
Brandon grabbed Harrington in the sixth round with the 130th overall pick last Thursday.
Harrington spent his minor U15 season with the South Side Athletic Club’s U15 AA squad, posting six goals, 17 assists and 40 penalty minutes in 32 games. He also was called up for a pair of games to the AAA SSAC Lions.
Instead of returning to SSAC for his major season, he made the jump to prep hockey at OHA Edmonton.
“Definitely transferring to an academy team and all the good players there pushed me to be better,” Harrington said.
The five-foot-11, 140-pound, left-shot defenceman had eight goals and 16 assists in 30 games in his prep debut in the Canadian Sport School Hockey League, with 12 penalty minutes.
He also had a goal in four games as a call-up to the U17 prep squad.
As he played, he did his best to put the WHL scouts off his mind, instead focusing on the game.
Harrington has a good sense of the league after attending Oil Kings games as a youngster. In addition, his 23-year-old step-brother, goalie Blake Lyda, suited up for 21 games with the Everett Silvertips and Seattle Thunderbirds over two seasons.
That planted a seed in the teenager, who also would like to play in the Dub one day.
“It’s a pretty big goal,” Harrington said. “It’s a hard goal to achieve but it’s probably one of my main and biggest goals.”
The 14-year-old defenceman, who turns 15 in June, said he was happy with his season, noting he got better and better as the year went on. The biggest improvements came in his speed, competitiveness, work ethic and skill level, the youngster noted. He wasn’t the only person with that opinion.
Brandon Wheat Kings director of hockey operations Chris Moulton said after the draft Harrington is a player on the rise.
“He’s a well-rounded, puck-transition guy who had a great second half to the season,” Moulton said. “He moves the puck really well, gaps up really well, has a great stick defensively, transitions the puck. He plays within himself and doesn’t turn over a lot of pucks.”
Harrington sees himself the same way, while noting he has to get bigger, stronger and faster.
“I’m a two-way defenceman who can move pucks quick and has a good gap,” Harrington said. “I can play good in the defensive zone and the offensive zone.”
On draft day, he was with his father Trevor and then went golfing to put the draft out of his mind. He got the call just after he finished up that the Wheat Kings had picked him 25 spots after they grabbed his OHA Edmonton teammate Austin Rideout.
“It was pretty cool,” Harrington said. “We’re pretty close buddies and hang out lots. It was pretty cool we both went to Brandon.”
Rideout texted Harrington after he was picked and the pair later met up at school. They also played against Rylan Edwards and Marko Malbasa in Brandon’s draft class, so they have some familiarity with them as well.
For Harrington, the road to the WHL draft has been on the blue-line.
The born-and raised Edmonton product began to skate at age four and started to play a year or two later. He’s always lined up on the back end.
“I like being behind the play and getting to see everything in front of me,” said Harrington, who also golfs a lot and does a little bit of mountain biking.
Harrington said his parents Trevor and Kira did everything right as he was growing up in hockey.
“They put me into hockey very early and gave me all the tools I needed to get better, and encouraged me,” Harrington said. He is planning to play U17 prep at OHA next season.
He has never been to Brandon before, but is looking forward to the experience, calling it a big step up that will allow him to meet some new people. And at the same time, he now has a good sense of what’s next.
“I’m very relieved that I got drafted and it’s over with,” Harrington said. “I’m very happy that I went to Brandon.”
» pbergson@brandonsun.com