BRANT HARRIS
Connecticut
Jr. | F | Estevan, Saskatchewan

Brant Harris

Key Statistics: Coach Bruce Marshall had a good feeling about Harris from the beginning. His freshman season was productive with eight goals and 22 assists. Harris improved his production by 50 percent as a sophomore; his 18 goals and 33 points both ranked second on the team. What’s more impressive was his league-leading 10 power-play goals, making him the second player in Metro Atlantic/Atlantic Hockey history to reach double figures. In 74 career college games, Harris has 26 goals and 29 assists.

What He Does: Harris is a big, strong kid who can fly up the wings and drive hard to the net where he becomes a nuisance for opposing goaltenders and defensemen. “He’s not afraid to get into the dirty areas,’’ Marshall said. It’s no wonder he has become such a success on the power play. He’s a top-line forward who will see some time on the penalty kill and is not afraid to get down and block a shot.

The Bigger Picture: Now that Cole Schneider has moved on ahead of graduation, all eyes will turn to Harris as the Huskies’ go-to player. Harris certainly benefited from playing alongside Schneider, but Marshall believes Harris will succeed with whomever he is paired with because he plays hockey the right way. All-star status is certainly not out of the question.

UConn coach Bruce Marshall on Harris: “If you had to look up in the dictionary ‘hockey player,’ Brant Harris would be the guy. Whether it’s 1920, 1990, or 2012, he plays the game hard, he plays it right, he competes. I like the way he plays the game. I will take 10 of him in a heartbeat. He is an elite player because of his characteristics.’’