| Jack Harvey | Chicago Steel | USHL | L | F | 5’10” | 165 | Boston University | 2022 | Stacy, MN | 2003 | 2020-2021: B- |
USHL: Weekend #4, October 27, 2021: He is just a natural goal scorer. He constantly puts himself in the right areas and high chances situations. On top of that, when he is in those areas, he has the ability and calmness to capitalize on opportunities. For an average sized guy, he does a great job of sniffing the net and going to the hard areas. He was rewarded three times this weekend with goals, all in almost identical fashion. Two of his three goals came from rebounds. When describing his natural ability to score goals, he is able to understand situations and where the pucks are coming from, and thus, where the pucks will be going off the goalie for the rebound. He understood what speed needed to crash the net. One of the goals, he drove extremely hard to the far post for a quick bang in rebound. Almost an identical play, he was able to see and understand the angle of the shot and hang back for a high rebound and once again have the stick skills and shooting ability to blast it home. His last goal was much the same. This time, he read the play and found a hole in the defensive structure. He went to the net with speed and presented a target. He redirected a shot pass in for goal. These types of goals scored in these games this weekend speak volumes to his scoring abilities and overall hockey IQ. Grade: A
Neutral Zone NHL’s Ian Moran’s comments, June 2021: My honest opinion, he’s going to go in the fifth round and in twelve months we will be asking why he was taken so late. I would take him in the third and I would consider taking him higher if I ran a team with multiple second round picks. He is skilled, competitive and incredibly creative. He has puck protection skills, but uses his teammates to generate quick two on ones all over the ice. And he can score. He’s scored at every level and I would expect that to continue into his professional career. This year he learned how to be a penalty killer and how to be reliable in his end. I mean he’s never going to win the Selke and I think he’s going to end up on the wing, but he played in straight lines in the defensive zone and his high level anticipation skills were evident by how often he was able to get his stick on pucks. Again, I think he’s going to go back to Chicago and rip it up. I think he will be motivated by what his teammates did this year and he will want to be the man next year. I might be higher on him than some other guys, but I really believe that after his freshman year at Boston University everyone will be talking about what a steal he was in the 2021 draft.
USHL: Chicago Steel vs Youngstown Phantoms, April 2021: Harvey has the one on one puck skills and edge control to make USHL defenders lean and look foolish. He baits the puck in one direction, twists his shoulders to give impression that he’s going that way and then uses his powerful knee bend to explode in the opposite direction. He also has excellent puck protection skills with ability to extend the cycle or offensive zone time. For a young player who has always been an offensive catalyst we were impressed with Harvey’s attention to detail while on the penalty kill. He played in straight lines, had an active stick, but most importantly showed patience and discipline as the weakside forward. Lastly, Harvey showed excellent explosiveness and breakaway speed on his goal. After a turnover in the neutral zone he jumped on a loose puck, accelerated into the offensive zone keeping the puck on his forehand and outwaited the Phantom’s goaltender for what looked like a very easy goal. College: Boston University Grade: B
USHL: Chicago Steel vs. Green Bay Gamblers, March 2021: Harvey is a talented rookie out of Gentry Academy who went second round in the USHL draft in 2019. He’s having himself a good season with a 7-7-14 line in 38 games this year and showed well here tonight. He’s quick and clever with the puck, he can create separation with his feet or with his hands and he’s elusive in traffic areas. He showed some poise and nifty stick skill in tight around the cage with little to no room and was able to curl and spin off contact in the corners. He’s young and needs to get stronger and was quiet here in this game but he has the speed and skill that will catch some NHL teams attention as a late round consideration. College: Boston University Grade: B-
USHL: Waterloo vs Chicago, January 2021: Harvey is a creative forward for the Steel who skates well and has high end skill with the puck on his stick. The Boston University commit registered five shots in this game, failing to appear on the scoresheet, but generating quality offense for his team. Harvey was most effective when carrying the puck through the neutral zone. He has good vision and used it to fire passes to teammates in stride, often time across the width of the ice. The Steel forward also displayed some good one on one skills, going around defenders with his hands on at least three occasions. Overall, Harvey is an exciting and creative player who does his best work through the neutral zone and on the rush. Grade: B+
U16: NAPHL Dixon Cup Playoffs, February 2020: Jack is a smaller player who uses his speed to his advantage and will take the defender wide and drive to the net. He has quick hands and the ability to dangle the opponent while he will find the open player. He created plenty of opportunities on the cycle as he moves his feet and the puck and it’s difficult for the defender to contain. He is effective on the power play as he controls the puck and will make accurate passes to his teammates. He is a hard, working player as he plays both ends of the ice.
U16: Notre Dame Shootout, December 2019: Harvey is an explosive skater with smooth, fluid feet and textbook stride. He has the look of a pro and has the polish and maturity to go along with that. Jack is really explosive off the pass or any kind of puck initiation. He just hits another gear the second the puck hits his stick. Excellent vision and play making ability and can finish in his own right. Dominant player in all three zones and someone you notice every time he is on the ice. Grade: A
Select 16’s USA Hockey National Camp, July 2019: Harvey made crisp passes and showed flashes of a slippery element at times. He is average sized but quick up and down the ice. He is a smart player and gets to scoring spots, but also knows how to cut across and fire pucks on the net on the rush. His hands are soft and complemented by his poised demeanor and patient play. He holds the puck on a string and waits for plays to open up. His stick is swift to action and his release is rapid. Jack is still light and he must become tougher to play against. That should come with off-ice work. He is talented and has terrific vision. He made plays on the wing and at center. Grade: C+
Minnesota 2003 Rankings, March 2018: Jack is a pass first player who has tremendous vision and passing skill. He makes plays in tight space well and is looking to create offense whenever he has the puck. Using average speed, Harvey works hard and has a quick stick. He can occasionally be a little to perimeter and we’d like to see him work on getting more direct to the net with pucks at times.
Western States Bantam Invite, September 2017: We really like the potential and game of Jack this weekend. He has great stick skills in tight areas, maneuvering around defenders or out of corners easily at times. He also has great vision, finding teammates and making passes through tight seams. We’d like to see Jack shoot a little more, at times he looked like he never contemplated shooting and just looked for the pass. 4 games: 0 goals: 2 assists
Photo Credit: Dan Hickling/Hickling Images