Harris will make his Bruins debut in front of friends and family
BOSTON –– Jordan Harris was once a 10-year-old sitting in the crowd at TD Garden, cheering on his hometown team. Now, the Haverhill, Mass, native will be on the other side of things, sporting the Spoked B on the ice.
The defenseman, who signed a one-year deal with Boston in July, is making his Bruins debut on Saturday at 7 p.m. as they face the Buffalo Sabres.
“Just really excited, looking forward to it. Probably be some nerves closer to game time,” Harris said. “I have some family coming and some buddies coming. We’ll see who ends up showing up.”
The 25-year-old spent last season with the Columbus Blue Jackets and is looking to further prove himself at the NHL level in Boston. Harris had a strong training camp, rotating through different D-partners. He is expected to skate on the second pair with Andrew Peeke against Buffalo.
“It’s a blessing every day you play in this league, and you play hockey for a living. Every single day is an opportunity, every time you step on the ice,” Harris said. “Since the day I signed, it’s just been what can I do today to get better, improve my game and show what I can do.”
While Saturday will be his first game at TD Garden as a member of the Bruins, Harris has had some monumental moments on Causeway Street during his early hockey career. He played four seasons of NCAA hockey with Northeastern University from 2018 to 2022, and won both the Hockey East Championship and Beanpot at TD Garden in the 2018-19 season.
“I’ve said this to everyone – it’s got to be the best barn in the league, if not up there,” Harris said.
Harris expected to make his Bruins debut vs. BUF
Harris looked up to Bruins defensemen as he worked his way to the pros. Dennis Seidenberg was one of the players Harris met when he was young, he said, and he got to skate with Matt Grzelcyk later on in his journey. Zdeno Chara – who is now a Hockey Operations Advisor and Mentor for the team – was also a role model. The two have talked one-on-one the past few weeks, and Harris has taken a lot of advice from Chara, he said.
In terms of what he wants to bring to the game on Saturday, Harris is staying true to himself.
“When I’m on my game, I use my feet and my head to my advantage,” Harris said. “I can close plays very quickly defensively – I think that is my strong suit. On the defensive side, killing plays and getting the puck moving up ice, join the rush. I like hopping in the offense when I can.”
Harris enters the lineup in the absence of Hampus Lindholm. The defenseman is day to day with a lower-body injury, head coach Marco Sturm said, and is expected to get back on the ice on Sunday. Despite the loss on the backend, Sturm feels Harris can properly fill the gap.
“I think the way he finished [camp], I thought he played really well. He used his feet a little bit more than probably the first couple games he played,” Sturm said. “Yes, he’s on the smaller side, but because of his ability to out-skate and move around and use his stick work well, I am very confident that he will do a good job tonight.”
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