Jansen Harkins Trying to Quickly Make a Good Impression

Despite having less time than his new teammates to make an impression at Penguins training camp, Jansen Harkins is doing his best to quickly make a big impact.

The Penguins claimed Harkins off of waivers from the Winnipeg Jets on Monday afternoon, as President of Hockey Operations and GM Kyle Dubas felt he was someone who could contribute to Pittsburgh’s bottom-six forward group, and the 26-year-old winger feels excited for the opportunity.

“I tried not to do much thinking when I was on waivers or the day before. I just tried to relax and try not to get too ahead of myself,” Harkins said after practice on Tuesday, his first day with the team. “My goal is to play in the NHL, and I definitely think I’m a good enough player to be here.

“Just trying to come in here and prove what I can do. Obviously don’t know many guys and many coaches, so I think it will be a good test for me the next few days, just to show what I can do on the ice and chip in.”

Harkins went on to perform well in his preseason debut on Wednesday night versus Detroit despite the short turnaround time, recording the primary assist on defenseman Xavier Ouellet’s goal in the 2-1 loss.

That lineup consisted primarily of guys battling for roster spots, while Thursday’s practice group was comprised mostly of veteran players. Harkins skated at right wing on the third line, with Lars Eller at center and Colin White - here on a Professional Tryout Contract - on the left.

“I think he's made a really good first impression on everyone,” Head Coach Mike Sullivan said. “I thought he had a real strong game last night. Obviously, Kyle and our hockey ops department has scouted him and has highly recommended him. Our coaching staff isn't as familiar, so we're trying to familiarize ourselves with his game. But he certainly made a really good first impression on all of us. He brings a lot to the table.”

Sullivan has mentioned on a couple of occasions that Harkins recorded 25 goals in 44 American Hockey League games last season, which is something that stands out to them. They’re hopeful the scoring touch he showed can potentially translate to the NHL level, where Harkins has played parts of four seasons with Winnipeg, appearing in 154 regular-season games.

“He can really shoot the puck, he can really skate,” Sullivan said. At 6-foot-2, Harkins also has some size – and that, paired with his speed, should help Pittsburgh’s puck pursuit game.

“He brings an element of physicality to our game. I think by nature of that, he's going to make us hard to play against,” Sullivan said. “He’s good on the forecheck. He's strong on the wall with his size and his strength.”

That physicality could be seen early against Detroit when Harkins knocked Antti Tuomisto onto the ground and retained an offensive possession for the Penguins. And Harkins certainly didn’t shy away from it throughout the course of the night, even drawing a roughing penalty at one point.

He finished with 18:27 minutes of ice time, the second-most among Penguins forwards, as Sullivan and the coaching staff are trying to give him an opportunity to see if he's a guy that can fit into their lineup. Harkins is one of 18 forwards remaining on the training camp roster after the Penguins assigned Avery Hayes, Rem Pitlick, Sam Poulin and Valtteri Puustinen to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.

“When you look at the players we have here right now, it’s the best players in the world,” Harkins said. “I think this is a really good team to have a chance to win and to compete, and all I want to do is go out there and help contribute to a winning culture. I think I can do that here.”