Jonas Harkins was in the crowd in Sunrise, Fla., and watched his brother Jansen try on a Winnipeg Jets jersey the minute he got drafted.
If that NHL moment ever happens for Jonas, he's got at least four years to wait. He won't turn 18 until Dec. 26, 2019, but when you see him on the ice working out with the Prince George Cougars, it's obvious the youngest Cougar in camp blends in well with an older crowd. That's saying a lot when you're a rookie defenceman who until five months ago was still playing bantam hockey with the North Shore Winter Club.
The Harkins boys lined up on opposite ends of the ice in Monday's Black-White intrasquad game watched by their dad, Cougars general manager Todd, and older brother Nicklas, the Cougars' assistant equipment manager. Nicklas, a former goalie, and Jansen were minor hockey teammates when Jansen was playing up an age group, but Jonas and Jansen have never been on the same team. The Cougars added Jonas to their family when they picked him in the second round of the 2015 WHL bantam draft, 28th overall.
"Some people may have raised some eyebrows but he's deserved where he was drafted and we're glad we got him," said Cougars head coach Mark Holick. "He's a big defenceman, he's not even 15 until the end of December and with his size and strength he's only going to get better. (In training camp) he didn't make a mess of things, he just did his job, moved pucks and supported players in the defensive zone, and his habits are pretty good. Where he is at 14, I think he's ahead of the curve."
Jonas, six-foot-two and 200 pounds, is already looking down on his 18-year-old brother Jansen, who measures six-foot-one, 187 pounds, but that size advantage offers no false sense of security when he peeks over his shoulder and sees Jansen closing in to try win a loose puck.
"Jansen has always been more of a skill player but he's getting a bit rougher and I know he's getting bigger and thicker and eating a lot more -- I wouldn't want to play against him," said Jonas.
"I think he's the most determined guy on the team. We played sports like football and soccer together but he was always more focused on hockey. I wasn't into hockey as much but he and my dad taught me to love the game. He's an NHL player and it's a pretty cool feeling to pass him the puck. I want to be like him."
Compared to Jansen, who always seems to have his game face on, Jonas is more laid back away from the ice. He's had to step up the intensity of his game considerably to fend off players who are as much as five years older and found out at his first WHL training camp on the weekend how much work that involves.
"The pace and the physicality is all different but once you get into it it's all good and it got me ready for the the season and the exhibition games to come," said Jonas. "Because I'm a bigger guy it's not that bad for me. There are some big guys but I can compete with them and I like it. It makes me tougher and makes me want to compete more in the corners and dig those pucks out."
As a midget-aged player, Jonas is limited to a maximum of five WHL games this season but will get to practice with the big Cats when his Cariboo Cougars schedule will allow it. He and fellow midgets Tyler Ho and Jackson Leppard will travel with the team for preseason games Friday in Kamloops and Saturday in Kelowna and will likely play next week as the exhibition schedule resumes in Kennewick, Wash.
"The Cariboo Cougars are a great team and Trevor Sprague, the coach, is going to develop me into a great WHL player," said Jonas, who will attend Grade 9 classes at PGSS. "Just being able to practice with the Cougars and get that experience and seeing my brothers and dad working here is great. I know it will be a cold winter but it'll be fun."
Raised in North Vancouver for all but the first two years of his life, Jonas was born in Berlin, Germany, where his dad played for a pro as a forward in the German Elite League. Jansen and Nicklas were both natives of Cleveland, Ohio.
"He's a pretty good skater for a big guy and his all-around game is really developing -- he's come a long way," said Jansen. "We play pretty different styles and positions and I'm looking forward to seeing what he's going to do in the future for this team. I know he's watched me play a lot more than I've watched him and maybe I can return the favour. It's exciting to be able to watch him again."
Jansen led the Cougars in scoring last year with 79 points and his 59 assists broke the team's single-season record. The Jets drafted him in the second round, 47th overall. On the verge of his third WHL season, he leaves next week for the Jets' NHL rookie tournament in Penticton and Holick is encouraged with his off-season development.
"I thought he had a tremendous summer, his skating has improved and I believe you get out what you put in and he worked his tail off this summer and," said Holick. "He wants to put on a good show in Winnipeg and I know he wants to show better for the world junior selection. He's improved a ton, and it's just our second day of practice. I expect him to have a real good year for us."
Despite playing last year for Canada's under-18 national team, Jansen was left off the invitation list for the summer world junior team evaluation camp and he's using that as motivation to get off to a quick start with the Cougars this season.
"It was disappointing not going to that camp, that's what I wanted to do but at the same time it pushed me harder," Jansen said. "I worked harder this off-season having that mentality to prove myself and hopefully that will help me moving forward and hopefully the world junior team is a reality.
"I put in a lot of work to get stronger and faster and better physically in every way. Physicality is something I can add to my game. I like to control the puck and make plays, but I think I can also be a physical presence as well."
Jansen will likely start the season on a line with 20-year-old left winger Chase Witala, who also appears stronger on his feet. How well they play together is one of the keys for the Cougars in their push for the B.C. Division title this season.
"We had a good year last year, making playoffs, and it's only getting better," Jansen said. "The new ownership is doing a good job again this year, kind of building on what they instilled in the team and the organization last year. We have lots of returning players and I think (a division title) is possible. It should be a fun year."
