EVERETT – Jonathan Harty shouldn’t be here.
As a 12th-round pick in the 2003 Bantam Draft, the Everett Silvertips defenseman isn’t supposed to have the talent to make a Western Hockey League team as a 16-year-old.
At 5-foot-10, 180 pounds, he isn’t supposed to be big enough, strong enough or physically mature enough to handle the larger, older forwards he faces on a regular basis.
Heck, as someone whose family now lives in Halifax, Nova Scotia, he’s not even supposed to be eligible for the WHL and should instead have his rights owned by a team from the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.
But a funny thing happened: No one bothered to tell Harty he shouldn’t be in Everett.
“We’ve always thought he was a guy who competed so hard he had a chance to play in this league, but we really didn’t even know if he’d be capable of making our team this year,” Everett coach Kevin Constantine said. “He wasn’t a guy coming into camp we were slotting in as a regular defenseman. So he’s been a very pleasant surprise.”
Said Harty: “I came to training camp prepared to not cut myself. I was going to give it all I had and let it play out from there.”
Harty has been a revelation for the Silvertips. The 221st player taken overall in the 2003 Bantam Draft and the sixth defenseman selected by Everett, Harty seemed an unlikely candidate to make the team.
However, Harty made sure the long trip to training camp from Halifax, where his family moved this summer from St. Albert, Alberta, wasn’t wasted. He got noticed because of his limitless energy and fearless play. Then when the coaches began teaching their systems, Harty impressed them with the speed with which he grasped the concepts.
Harty was one of three 16-year-old defenseman to make the final roster – Taylor Ellington and Graham Potuer were the other two. The original plan was to rotate the three into games. However, Harty got the start on opening night and has refused to relinquish his spot in the lineup. Going into tonight’s game at Tri-City, Harty had played in all but one of Everett’s 13 games, and on Wednesday he scored his first WHL goal in the Silvertips’ 6-0 victory over Kamloops.
“I don’t think it could have gone any better,” Harty said about the start of his WHL career. “I think I’d like to keep going like this, maybe get some more ice time, some more opportunities and hope to capitalize on them.”
When Harty is on the ice, he gets noticed. He plays with a reckless abandon that belies his small stature, not afraid to deliver the big hit. And he has no problem standing up to players bigger than himself. As a result, Harty’s already become something of a fan favorite, with sections of the crowd prone to chanting his name.
“Honestly, I don’t feel like a small guy out there,” Harty said. “When I start getting pushed around or anything like that, then I’ll start feeling like a small guy. But I think I’ve been able to compete with the guys out there.”
Competing has never been an issue for Harty. Even at a young age he showed the traits that developed into his playing style, and he’s always played with energy, desire and heart.
“When you’re a kid and first learn to skate, you stop,” said Harty’s mother Joan, who flew into town to see Harty score his first WHL goal. “He never stopped. He would go so fast he’s always fall down because everything had to be fast and hard.”
Harty has seen his role gradually increase. He began the season as the sixth defenseman and a player who received occasional shifts. However, his ice time has increased, he’s shown he can contribute on the penalty kill, and he’s even put himself in line to fill in on the power play if necessary.
And if he continues to improve at a similar rate, there’s no telling how good a player he could eventually become.
“He just works so hard and is so passionate about the game, and guys like that just keep getting better,” Constantine said. “We just hope somewhere along the way he adds an inch or two and a few more pounds. If he keeps doing what he’s doing now, which is work hard every night and compete every night, he’s going to be a very good player in this league. If he adds an inch or two, he’s going to be a very good player above this league.”
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