Two Habs Prospects Have Won A NCAA National Title

During the National Championship game, Harris didn’t produce much on the scoresheet, but he still had a solid performance at both ends of the ice playing responsible hockey as one of the leaders of this very good Denver team. This is, in fact, Harris’ 2nd national championship, as he was a freshman when Denver won the title back in 2024. With his experience of being one of the eight players to have won before, it allowed Harris to be one of the leaders this season.

Last season, Harris was seen as more of a goal scorer, where he recorded 23 goals and 35 points in 43 games during his sophomore year with the Pioneers. However, this year, he developed more of his playmaking game, as he put up 15 goals and 20 assists for another 35-point season in the same amount of games as the year before. Essentially, Harris has been very consistent offensively for Denver these past two years.

It is unclear if, after two years of being a very solid player for Denver offensively as well as winning two national titles, he is considering turning pro and possibly joining the Laval Rocket for next season; however, he does have the numbers to back up justification that turning pro could be good for him. If he does go pro, he could be a solid middle-six player for the Rocket, bringing a solid 2-way game to the table.

At the same time, he has the ability to play his senior season, being part of Denver’s leadership group while wearing a letter and improving on his 2 consecutive seasons of 35 points as an opportunity to bet on himself to get an NHL contract. The truth is, besides possibly becoming a player for the Rocket, the former Habs 5th round pick likely doesn’t have much of a future in the Canadiens organization. If he chooses to go back to Denver and is having a good season, he could be a piece added in a potential trade deadline deal next year. It will be interesting to see what happens with this arguably underrated Habs prospect going forward.

As for Miller, despite not playing throughout the tournament, he still played a big role for Denver, as the two goalies split the net all season long before the Pioneers went with the hotter hand for the national tournament. Hicks put up a ridiculous 1.19 GAA with a .957 save percentage for Denver, which were the best numbers in the NCAA by a very good margin. As a result, Miller didn’t really stand a chance to get the starting role for Denver in the NCAA Frozen Four Tournament. Nonetheless, his 2.39 GAA and .916 save percentage in 25 games for the Pioneers are still a very solid season for a freshman netminder.

Considering both goaltenders were freshmen, it may be hard for Miller to get the starting job again next year with both goaltenders likely sticking around in college. With that being said, it wouldn’t be surprising for Miller to go to the transfer portal to find a place where he can have a starting job somewhere in the NCAA.

There may be news regarding Harris and Miller’s futures with the Denver Pioneers soon, but for now the two Habs prospects will get to celebrate their championship before any decisions will be made.

Do you see either Miller or Harris having any future in the Canadiens organization?