The Winnipeg Jets have signed second-round pick Jansen Harkins to a three-year, entry-level contract worth $925K each season in the NHL. The team also announced that he will join the Manitoba Moose for the remainder of the year on an amateur tryout. Perhaps the Jets front office were reading PHR yesterday, when we pointed out that Harkins was the highest drafted player whose exclusive negotiating rights would expire on June 1st.
The big center has completed his fourth year with the Prince George Cougars of the WHL, where he bounced back from a disappointing 2015-16 campaign. With 72 points in 64 games he once again topped the point-per-game mark, though it likely wasn’t his offensive development that the Jets were happiest with. Harkins has shown flashes of an excellent defensive game, and projects as a solid two-way center for the team down the line should he continue on his current development path.
Harkins joins Kyle Connor and Jack Roslovic from the 2015 draft for the Jets, who are quietly stockpiling young talent and creating a pipeline of forwards to go along with their strong defense core. Perhaps even with their recent crowning as the worst free agent destination, they’ll be able to create a winning tradition in a city that desperately hungers for it.