Harvey was awesome in this tournament and was extremely unlucky to only come away with three points in five games as he was seemingly at the centre of most Team Grey’s offensive zone time and best scoring chances. I’m not sure that there was a better passer at this tournament, and it really is a treat to watch Harvey dish the biscuit. He has precision and vision on outlets out of his own zone and can fit passes into the tightest of areas. In an early game in the tournament, he feathered a saucer pass ten feet in the air, kitty -corner from blueline to blueline to spring a teammate for a breakaway goal. There are wow moments in every game I’ve watched of his and I think his play reading ability and passing execution will remain an elite graded skill for him at any level. In the offensive zone he works well off the cycle, wearing the opposition down before punishing the stationary and tired defence. His top end speed could use a little work but he has a solid base and is tough to push off the puck. He is certainly a pass first player but I like his instincts to call his own number when defenders cheat pass and he has a firm release on his shot. Overall, I think that Harvey is one of the higher ceiling forwards at this tournament and with some added size and an extra gear he has true star potential.

Harvey road shotgun with previously mentioned Blake Chorney on a line and their chemistry together was really fun to watch. It was honestly a little difficult to evaluate them separately as they maximize each others’ talents so efficiently. Harvey is the more puck dominant of the two and excels as the primary distributor on the ice. His head is always up, reading the play and manipulating the situation to his advantage. He has the rare ability to slow the play down to his level and completely dictate the pace of play. He is so effective at opening up the ice on the cycle by baiting defenders, probing soft spots, and faking intentions, before finding the highest danger missed assignment with a crisp tape to tape pass. His instincts in changing speeds to throw the defence off balance will also serve him well at higher levels. His ability to slow the play down on the cycle is matched by his blazing speed in open ice and soft touch when finding teammates at full speed off the rush. The further the tournament progressed I also came to appreciate Harvey’s off-puck play more. His play reading skills carry over to his positional instincts, allowing him to be in smart areas to pick off opposition outlets as well as providing excellent coverage for pinching defenders, allowing them to cycle into the NAX attack without concern of creating a defensive weakness. He is also a surprisingly effective presence around the net front. He isn’t blessed with size but hangs around the fringes of the net front and is really adept and getting his stick on points shots for tips.

I anticipated that someone would bring up Ben’s name fairly early to ask why he wasn’t in the top-20 on the PuckPreps board as he’s continuing to produce at a top clip in the CSSHL and was one of a few 2009-born players playing in the Prep division last year. He’s a good hockey player. Point blank. The more you watch him, the more you see the impact of the details of his play. He keeps his feet moving, adjusts quickly, supports the play defensively both as the F3 and in transition backchecking, and makes quick plays in open ice or off outlet passes off the boards. He’s patient with the puck, cycles well, keeps possession with team play, and all the rest. At this point it’s a conversation of efficiency vs upside. Others offer one or two high level traits with either physicality or shot power or whatever. Ben’s efficiency and well-rounded play is his projectable asset.

It was fun to see the difference approaches from Alberta’s leaders as they clawed back in this game. Players like Hilderman and England ramped up the aggressiveness, playing faster and harder. Harvey took the equally effective approach of dialing in his focus and composure, serving as an example for his teammates to follow a one-goal-at-a-time mentality and not get too loose in the service of goal-hunting. He plays the centre-ice position with a maturity that defies his age. He is always in the right spot defensively to support and as he progresses up ice from behind the puck. He has perfect positioning as the F3 to get open if his team has the puck or plug lanes if the opponent is trying to exit the zone. His linemates did a lot of the heavy lifting on the forecheck in pressuring mistakes but they were often only mistakes because of Harvey’s ability to read the play and set up shop where he’s able to cause the most damage picking off pass attempts or stripping pressured opponents of possession.

Alberta’s captain collected a hat-trick in this contest and showcased his mature game in all three zones. I think Harvey’s game will track well to higher levels as he sees the game with an advanced understanding and is willing to take care of the little details that make a team successful. He isn’t the flashiest offensive player, but he makes the right plays all over the ice and as a result he usually shows up on the scoresheet while being a positive presence without the puck as well. I think shot is currently his best weapon, but I’ve seen some world class playmaking talent in past viewings as well. This game was all about timing as he lurked in the right areas before darting towards the net with perfect timing to finish off some great passes from teammates.