Stu Cowan: Canadiens' Harvey-Pinard living his dream and it shows

Left-winger brings unsurpassed work ethic, offensive flair and a million-watt smile to Habs in career-long pursuit "to prove people wrong."

Rafaël Harvey-Pinard didn’t even attend the 2019 NHL draft in Vancouver.

After being passed over at the 2018 draft in Dallas, the Saguenay native didn’t think he’d ever get picked. So he stayed home and watched the draft from Vancouver on TV.

Harvey-Pinard got a pleasant surprise when the Canadiens selected him in the seventh and final round, 201st overall.

“I remember being with my family and that was such a great moment,” Harvey-Pinard recalled after scoring two goals in the Canadiens’ 5-4 loss to the Ottawa Senators Tuesday night at the Bell Centre. “When I think about it, I still have chills. It’s a great memory.”

Being a late-round draft pick is nothing new for Harvey-Pinard, a 5-foot-9, 180-pound left-winger. He was selected by the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies in the eighth round (130th overall) of the 2015 QMJHL draft. The season before the Canadiens drafted him, Harvey-Pinard had 40-45-85 totals in 66 games with the Huskies.

“I love his intensity,” former Canadiens assistant GM Trevor Timmins said after Harvey-Pinard was drafted. “He’s got hockey sense and he has a never-die, never-quit attitude.”

That’s exactly what Harvey-Pinard has shown in the seven games he has played with the Canadiens since being called up from the AHL’s Laval Rocket, posting 5-1-6 totals. The 24-year-old has scored as many goals as Joel Armia (three goals in 32 games), Jake Evans (two goals in 43 games) and Jonathan Drouin (zero goals in 28 games) had combined before all three went on the injured list, opening up a spot for Harvey-Pinard.

“All my life, I’ve been trying to prove people wrong,” Harvey-Pinard said. “I was having a little bit of the same thing in the QMJHL. I found a way to make my place in the Q doing well and now (after) getting drafted in the seventh round. Mentally trying to prove that I deserve my place here and that I’m good enough to play here.”

Harvey-Pinard grew up as a huge Canadiens fan, so he is living a dream. His two favourite players to watch while growing up were Alex Kovalev and Brendan Gallagher.

During his three seasons with the Rocket, Harvey-Pinard earned the nickname “Lavalagher” because of a work ethic similar to Gallagher’s.

“He was a great example,” Harvey-Pinard said about Gallagher. “His work ethic is incredible. I was watching him a lot.”

Apart from working his butt off every shift, Harvey-Pinard isn’t afraid to go to the dirty areas on the ice and when he gets a scoring chance he has the talent to finish.

“Mainly it’s going at the net, crashing the net, going in front,” Harvey-Pinard said about his recent success “Most of the goals are coming from forecheck or zone entry. I think that’s pretty much it.

“It’s going pretty good right now,” he added. “I’m not still 100-per-cent satisfied. I think I can do more in little details. But I think I’m doing a good job. I just need to play with consistency and do that night after night.”

Harvey-Pinard has impressed head coach Martin St. Louis, who promoted him to the first line with Nick Suzuki and Josh Anderson after the first period of Tuesday’s game. Both his goals came in the third period.

It wasn’t the first time Harvey-Pinard and Suzuki have played on the same line. After not getting selected at the 2018 NHL draft, Harvey-Pinard accepted an invitation to the Vegas training camp and played a couple of games on the same line as Suzuki, who was selected by the Golden Knights in the first round (13th overall) of the 2017 draft. Harvey-Pinard was at the Vegas camp with Suzuki when news broke that Suzuki had been traded to the Canadiens in exchange for Max Pacioretty.

After Tuesday’s game, the Canadiens announced that forwards Alex Belzile and Jesse Ylönen had been sent back to Laval, but Harvey-Pinard isn’t going anywhere. He will be able to enjoy the NHL all-star break and will be back in the lineup when the Canadiens play again next Saturday afternoon at the Bell Centre against the New York Islanders. You have to think he’ll also be back on the No. 1 line.

Harvey-Pinard can become a restricted free agent after the season and he could have a chance to play the final 31 games with the Canadiens as well as getting a new contract with a raise from his current NHL minimum of US$750,000. His two-way deal pays him US$70,000 in Laval.

After the Canadiens announced last month that Cole Caufield would require season-ending shoulder surgery, St. Louis said: “The most important thing he brings that we have to replace is not his goals, it’s his enthusiasm.”

Harvey-Pinard has been able to replace both of those things since getting called up with a smile that can light up the Bell Centre — just like Caufield — every time he scores.

“They don’t hand out chances,” St. Louis said when asked about Harvey-Pinard making the most of his chance. “You’ve got to earn your chances and that’s what he’s doing.”

scowan@postmedia.com

twitter.com/StuCowan1

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