The 6-foot-1, 203-lb. forward isn’t shaken by much, though. Harrington’s physicality is a big part of his game, but the product of Prince George, B.C., also chipped in for 107 points in Spokane silks over the past two WHL campaigns.
Seasons that included battles against Carels in the playoffs, too.
“He's definitely one of my buddies,” said Harrington. “I played on some prospect teams with him, hung out with him a lot at the Combine, had a good battle with him against PG in the playoffs.
“So yeah, I know him pretty well.”
Carels’ Cougars squad got the last laugh against Harrington’s Chiefs this past spring, but Spokane went all the way to the WHL finals in 2025, a run that saw the 18-year-old chip in with six goals - one a game-winner - and 14 points over a memorable spring.
It was in Spokane, too, that Harrington picked up pro habits from former NHL assistant Brad Lauer, who returned to the WHL two autumns ago after a stint in Winnipeg.
“It's really a pro style,” Harrington said of Lauer’s coaching tactics. “He coached in the NHL for a long time, he's got a lot of insight into what it takes to be a pro and how to get better, different areas of your game, not just the skill side, like the details and the habits.”
Back home in Prince George, Harrington works on details on the construction site. Working with his father, he explained to the group of reporters hunched around his interview pod that he’s had a hard-working mentality instilled in him from a young age.
“Mostly just cleaning up,” he laughed when asked what his role is on-site. “I’m not very good at the skill stuff, I think he does most of the work,
“You’ve got to kind of ground yourself a little bit. I think that helps a lot, it’s hard work, like he works 10 hours a day, six days a week.
“It kind of motivates me a lot, too, in hockey.”
Dishing out hits, like a hammer to a nail, requires no extra motivation, though.
But for Harrington, that’s just one facet to his game, a skill set he’s looking forward to putting on full display in front of the C of Red.
Minus the catwalk tours, of course.
“I bring physicality. I can compete,” he said. “I also have a lot of skill, you know, I could put pucks into the net.
“But yeah, I'm gonna be a physical presence out there.”
