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Jordan Harris, former member of the Northeastern University Huskies (Jim Pierce of Northeastern Athletics)

Meet Your New Bruins: Jordan Harris

Originally posted on The Hockey Writers
By Hannah Garfield | Last updated Oct 20, 2025 9:35 AM ET

The 2025-26 season is still only a few weeks old, but already the Boston Bruins have had some exciting moments. There was Fraser Minten’s overtime winner in the second game of the season against the Chicago Blackhawks and the official return of Zdeno Chara to the organization after being named a new hockey operations advisor and mentor.

Players’ first goals in the black and gold are also always an exciting occasion, and the team has already had several, including Tanner Jeannot and Michael Eyssimont. But probably the most exciting first Bruins’ goal so far this season has been from local, Massachusetts native, Jordan Harris, who scored against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Oct. 13.

Harris was a free agent signing back in July, signing a one-year deal worth $825,000. After a solid training camp and preseason, he earned the seventh defenseman role, and got a chance to join the lineup pretty early with the injury to Hampus Lindholm that sidelined him for three games. In a small sample size, he’s played well, making an argument for an expanded role, though he’ll have to wait and see if that comes to fruition.

Road to the NHL Draft

Harris was born on July 7, 2000, in Haverhill, Massachusetts. His father, Peter Harris, was a goalie and a 1986 draft pick by the New York Islanders and spent a season in the ECHL. His older brother, Elijah, was also a goaltender who played college hockey for Endicott College in Beverly, Massachusetts.

Unlike his dad and older brother, Harris went the defenseman route. He primarily played his junior hockey for Kimball Union Academy, a private school in New Hampshire. Fun fact: AJ Greer, a former Bruin who now plays for the Florida Panthers, also attended school there.

In addition to Kimball Union, Harris also made his debut in the United States Hockey League (USHL) in the 2017-18 season, leading up to his draft, appearing in five games for the Youngstown Phantoms.

While Harris didn’t have the flashiest of stats, he was regarded highly for his two-way defensive game and high hockey IQ. He was drafted in the third round of the 2018 Draft by the Montreal Canadiens at pick number 71.

NCAA Experience

Following the 2018 NHL Draft, Harris went the NCAA route, joining the Northeastern University Huskies for the 2018-19 season where he grew and thrived. His first year on the team, he helped the Huskies win the Hockey East title, and only went up from there.

In 2019-20, Harris had 21 points in 33 games. He also made the roster for Team USA for the World Juniors that season, playing with guys like Trevor Zegras, K’Andre Miller, Cole Caufield, and Bruins teammate Johnny Beecher.

In 2020-21, Harris joined Northeastern’s leadership group, wearing the ‘A’ and recording 19 points in 19 games and was named to the Hockey East second all-star team. His final NCAA season, 2021-22, saw him captaining the Huskies to a regular season Hockey East championship. He had 20 points, including five goals, in 39 games, and earned several Hockey East honors, including best defensive defenseman and first all-star team placement. Additionally, he was named the best New England defenseman in the NCAA and a D1 New England all-star.

Finding His Way in the NHL

Harris joined the Canadians after Northeastern’s season came to an end in 2021-22, playing the first 10 games of his NHL career and registering his first NHL goal in that time. While in the system, he didn’t generate a ton of buzz, but was considered one of the Canadiens’ most underrated prospects at the time.

Following his solid NHL debut, Harris played his first full NHL season in 2022-23, appearing in 65 games for the Canadiens, limited by a lower-body injury in November and an upper-body injury in February that season. Despite the injuries, his rookie season was the best of his young NHL career so far. He had four goals and 17 points in 65 games.

Jordan Harris, Boston Bruins (Amy Irvin / The Hockey Writers)

Despite a good start to his NHL career, Harris started to lose momentum from his early buzz in Montreal, and in the summer of 2024, he was traded to the Columbus Blue Jackets as part of the Patrik Laine deal. The team was not a great fit for him as he fell into a seventh defenseman role, only appearing in 33 games where he had a goal and five points. Following the 2024-25 season, the team opted not to extend him a qualifying offer, making him available for the Bruins to sign.

What He Brings to the Bruins

Harris’ signing did not make big waves over the summer, but the Bruins were a good fit for the young defenseman. He’s obviously familiar with the city of Boston, but he also has connections with the organization itself. He’s worked with Boston’s skills coach, John McLean, since he was 10 years old, and as previously mentioned, was on Team USA for the World Juniors with Beecher back in 2020.

While the Bruins’ six defensemen are pretty locked into place, Harris has obviously taken advantage of his opportunity with Lindholm’s injury to make his case. In three games, he has a goal and an assist, while being defensively responsible, something the team sorely missed last season, and has managed to provide an offensive spark. His two-way game has always been part of his calling card, and that has been on display in his small sample so far.

Harris is a left-shot defenseman, which has a pretty locked-in depth chart with Lindholm, Nikita Zadorov, and Mason Lohrei. But if head coach Marco Sturm does want to bring him back to the lineup now that Lindholm is healthy again, there may be an option to play him on his off side. Henri Jokiharju is the only defenseman who currently looks like they could be vulnerable to losing their roster spot, but it is too early to make any big, dramatic changes to the defensive pairings.

Harris will be someone to keep an eye on as the season progresses. In limited minutes, he was impressive in his three-game stretch and is definitely piquing people’s interest. He’s currently back to being a healthy scratch, but don’t be surprised if he makes an appearance again soon, whether it’s due to an injury or swapping in for someone underperforming.

The Bruins were not a defensively sound team last season, playing a significant role in the turn the team took. Harris is not the sole solution, but if things start to drastically turn south again, it wouldn’t be the worst thing to bring him back into the lineup as a replacement.