Relentless.
That’s how forward Jansen Harkins described his hockey identity as he pushes for an opening night roster spot at this year's Tampa Bay Lightning training camp.
“That's kind of what I try to be shift in, shift out, night in, night out. I think that’s playing hard on guys, hard on pucks, not quitting on plays, stripping pucks and creating chances through hard work,” Harkins said. “As you get more comfortable and you start gaining chemistry, some of those plays might open up a bit more, but I think my foundation is just really speed and tenacity. That’s what I'd like to pillar my game, and then from there you try to open up a little bit more and make plays and see the ice, bring the puck to the net, get involved offensively. But I think first and foremost, it’s just playing with good pace and being relentless.”
Harkins, 29, spent last season with the Anaheim Ducks, scoring three goals and eight points in 44 games. He won 51.4% of his faceoffs for Anaheim, the second-best rate of any Ducks forward (min. 100 faceoffs), and his 113 hits were fourth-most on the team.
He joined the Lightning on a one-year, two-way contract this July and is eager for the chance to play in an organization he’s watched closely over his career.
“You want to go to a competitive team, and I think Tampa's kind of the benchmark of the NHL for years now,” Harkins said. “It's a fun team to watch. Every time they're on TV and I'm at home in years past, that's a game I want to tune into. It's a lot of skill, a lot of energy, size on the back end, the best goalie probably in the world. You’ve got all the pieces here to make a really good team.”
The left-shooting center won 10 of his 15 faceoffs during his preseason debut in Nashville on Tuesday, leading all players in that contest for both faceoff wins and faceoff percentage.
He added a hit and shot on goal while playing nearly two minutes on the penalty kill and is part of Thursday’s roster for a 7 p.m. game against the Florida Panthers at Benchmark International Arena.
“He's done a really good job of leaving his mark on the coaching staff and management through his work and through his style of play. I'm really impressed with his ability to pick up our systems because our systems aren't the easiest to just pick up,” assistant coach Dan Hinote said, "especially when you're talking about special teams because we've used him on the penalty kill, and our kill is very complicated if it's new to you. I'd say within two days he picked it up really well, so that's a big boon for him because a player like him has to be able to fill a role. If he can fill that role on the penalty kill, that gives him more value and a better chance to make the team. I've been really impressed."
The team’s head coach has noticed that, too.
“He settles things down out there,” Lightning coach Jon Cooper said of Harkins. “We’ve played him in the middle, and he knows where to navigate and he's got good instincts for the game, tries really hard. He's made a good impression.”
Harkins was a second-round draft pick of the Winnipeg Jets at the 2015 NHL Draft and spent his first four NHL seasons in Winnipeg. He owns 45 points and 106 penalty minutes over 300 career NHL games.
He played one season with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2023-24 before heading to Anaheim from 2024 to 2026, where he shared the ice with two more offseason Bolts additions in John Carlson and Jeff Viel. Those familiar faces have helped this month.
“I think the first guy I saw when I walked in was John (Carlson). I've been in a couple places the last handful of years, and at first it's pretty tough. I spent so long in one organization to start my career, and then you go through it a little bit trying to find your way with a new group,” Harkins said. “Now I’ve done it two or three times and it's my third time now, so I think I'm getting better at that and being able to assimilate myself a little bit easier.”
Harkins again finds himself in a new city, wearing a new NHL jersey.
The goal is to keep it.
“I just think it's been a lot of fun since my first day here. The guys have been great, a super light group and communicative. I think you can catch the vibe right away that everyone's done this a lot and done it well for a long time. So I think everything is very seasoned, and just getting to learn from lots of great players and be around this group is super exciting.”
