Young D-man Harris impressing in Swan Valley

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This article was published 26/11/2020 (1765 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

He may only be 15, but Owen Harris is making his mark in the Manitoba Junior Hockey League.

The defenceman is one of just 11 players in their 16-year-old season who made this year’s cut for the Junior A league. With a birthday in late December, Harris is about as young as they come.

“It’s a great feeling,” Harris said. “It’s a great league, it’s really fast, all the players are big and there’s lots of talent there.”

Harris said it’s been a good but tough adjustment, especially when comparing it to his lone campaign playing for the Manitoba AAA U18 Hockey League’s Southwest Cougars.

Last season, the blue-liner put up four goals and 13 assists over 41 games, plus a whopping 96 penalty minutes.

Now part of the Swan Valley Stampeders, Harris contributed one assist and tallied six penalty minutes over the past eight games. Head coach and general manager Barry Wolfe has certainly been impressed with the the rookie.

“For a 2004 player at the Junior A level, (Harris) has adapted to the level of play with no problem,” Wolfe said. “He skates well for a big kid, has a strong first pass, plays physical, is hard to play against and has a high-end compete level.”

Harris said Wolfe’s coaching style is “hard-nosed,” but benefits greatly from his instruction.

“We have a lot of rookies on our team but I feel like we work really hard, plus Barry pushes us quite a lot which is really good … I think we have a good work ethic,” Harris said.

The defenceman isn’t the first person in his family to suit up for Wolfe. While his brother Brian spent just over a season with the Western Hockey League’s Edmonton Oil Kings, the forward came back to Swan Valley for his 20-year-old season in 2018-19.

Harris may also be competing in January for a Western Hockey League spot with the Brandon Wheat Kings. The unsigned prospect was selected in the third round of the 2019 WHL bantam draft by the Wheat Kings.

Stampeders teammates Jackson Betcher and Lane Kirk had the opportunity to get to know both brothers, having each been part of the team for the past four and five years, respectively.

“Those two mostly chirp my brother,” Owen said.

Two of main things Harris has been focusing on in his rookie season has been improving his speed and shooting, things the rearguard believes can always be improved, no matter how good a player is.

While living away from home could be a problem for some at such a young age, Harris had been loving it. He bonded quickly with his billet family and never found himself homesick, always knowing his friends and family were only a call away if needed.

The Wawanesa product is back at home waiting for the restart of the season, which was put on pause until at least January because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

It’s been tough being away from his team, but he’s been enjoying spending time with his family and working out at home whenever he gets the chance. When it comes to lessons Harris has learned on the ice so far this year, one thing has stuck in his mind.

“Never be satisfied, always keep striving for more,” Harris said. “You gotta keep going, because you gotta earn everything here.”

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