But with an unrelenting level of grit and determination, he doesn’t let his size stop him from battling with some of the league’s most physically imposing players.

“Everyone’s got their role and I appreciate that they see me as a small player with a big heart,” he added. “That’s kind of the way I always saw myself.”

Originally from Orleans in Ottawa, Harris started playing hockey at the age of four and idolized former Anaheim Mighty Ducks superstar Paul Kariya.

“He was a smaller guy who was fast, he was a winner and he worked hard,” he said. “That’s kind of my style of play.”

Along with keeping him out of trouble, Harris believes hockey has played an invaluable role in his personal growth and for fostering numerous life-long friendships.

“I think it played a very important role in my life,” he said. “It taught me that competitive mentality, which I can use in everyday activities, whether it’s work, I bring it in everyday life as well.”

Growing up with two hockey-loving brothers in the same household – Simon and Vincent – Harris recalls living in a competitive atmosphere.

Whether it was playing at the outdoor rink or shooting pucks in the driveway, it was always about finding out who was the best and toughest of the three.

“It was a boys’ house,” he said. “Whatever we did, we always tried to bring the best out of each other.”

Throughout his minor hockey years, Harris evolved in the Cumberland Minor Hockey Association, where he and his brothers played competitively. But with two years of separation from both his siblings, they never played on the same teams as youngsters.

While Harris also played soccer at a high level and dabbled with some lacrosse, hockey was the game he stuck to the most.

As a smaller player, Harris said he was often overlooked by coaches, making it harder for him to land spots on certain teams.

“I was always that bubble player, just kind of making the cut,” he said. “My growth spurt was maybe a little bit later than others. I’ve always played the same way with my heart on my sleeve, but some coaches didn’t see that and I’m glad that the Comets do.”

After finishing his minor hockey career, Harris tried out for the Cumberland Bandits – a Junior C team playing out of the National Capital Hockey League (NCHL) at the time.

After a successful try out, he made the cut and evolved with the organization for the next four years.

But playing against bigger, stronger and faster players on a nightly basis, Harris admitted that the transition from minor hockey to the junior ranks was a learning curve.

Being smaller than most of his opponents and teammates, he knew he had to adjust his game and improve significantly if he wanted to stick around long-term.

“I was playing with players that might be three to four years older than me,” he said. “I’ve always been a smaller guy. So, these guys might’ve been a lot stronger. That’s where I kind of had to step up my game and adapt to that level of hockey.”

Fortunately, surrounded by a great supporting cast of players and coaches, Harris got better as time went on, started contributing offensively and was eventually named captain of the team.

“After the first year, the coach had a little bit more confidence in me,” he said. “That kind of built my confidence in the sense that I held onto the puck a little bit more, developing my playmaking skills and understanding the different aspects of the game … once I became the over-ager, that’s where I had a little bit more experience and was one of the leading scorers in the league.”

In his final season with the Bandits (2012-13), as a 21-year-old, Harris finished his junior career in the best way possible.

Joined by his younger brother Vincent, Harris and the Bandits pulled off a major upset in the final round of the NCHL playoffs against the St. Isidore Eagles – the top team in the league at the time.

Notching 18 points in 17 games, Harris was named playoff MVP – something he recalls as his most cherished hockey memory.

“They had bought their rings before we played them,” he said. “They won the first game and then we beat them in four straight games to knock them off in five. No one really thought we had a chance and beating them in five was really something.”

For Harris playing in Junior C was very enjoyable because it gave him an opportunity to play hockey at the highest level he could, while still working at a part-time job and attending school full-time at the University of Ottawa.

“I enjoyed playing at a higher caliber than men’s league because, at that point, there was less competitive hockey,” he said. “There was just Senior and I was going to school, so it was the right fit for my schedule as well.”

Plus, playing close to home meant that his parents – Donald and Sylvie – and his brothers came to see him every game just like when he was a kid.

Once his junior career ended, his life as a competitive hockey player came to a halt.

“There was no senior hockey after, so I stopped playing competitive hockey for a while,” he said.

He still played men’s league hockey and co-ed soccer on a weekly basis, as well as regularly lifting weights to stay in shape. But nothing matched the intensity of competitive hockey and Harris admitted that he was missing that side of the game.

Five years later (2018-19), Harris learned that the Cumberland Bandits had established a team in a league called the Outaouais Senior A Hockey League – now known as the Outaouais Senior AA Hockey League (OSAAHL).

“Some of my friends told me that I should come play and the owner, Rick Bedard reached out,” he said. “I went and played in five or six games.”

In just five games with the Bandits, Harris put up a team-leading 13 points (four goals, nine assists). But with a lack of roster-stability, the team folded just over halfway through the league’s inaugural season.

Harris then got picked up by the Cornwall Senior Prowlers where he scored three points in two games, before being traded to the Pontiac Senior Comets where he has played ever since.

So far, Harris has really enjoyed his time with the Comets, because of its solid organizational structure, its supportive fanbase and its ability to seek out all sorts of highly skilled players.

“It’s a great organization,” he said. “They’re good with their fans, they have tremendous support from local organizations. It’s nice to see. I love playing for the Comets. They’re a strong team with various types of players. I think the organization does a good job in picking different styles of players.”

“I don’t mind playing any role but I’ve always considered myself being that grit player and I have that role now with them,” he added.

Along with representing the Comets, Harris also plays in the Eastern Ontario Senior Hockey League for the West Carleton Rivermen. While both his teams are having very successful seasons so far, he said he’s enjoyed his time with the Comets a little bit more because of its dedicated fanbase.

“I play in that league as well, mostly on Friday nights,” he said. “We’re 10-0-1. We lost one game in overtime. I just enjoy playing for Comets more because they have a bigger fan base and the league is a little bit more developed at this point because it’s in its second year.”

Travelling through the states in an RV last fall, Harris missed the first five games of the season. But in his first game back in the lineup, he put up two go als and one assist, earning himself first-start honours. Since being inserted back in the lineup, the team has won nine consecutive games and hasn’t looked back one bit.

“I enjoy being a winner and I enjoy playing hockey,” he said. “So, I don’t mind making the trips to get that exercise in and I’m good friends with guys on both teams so it’s good to play in both.”

For Harris one of the most enjoyable aspects about playing for the Comets is that it allows him to be around a great group of guys, while playing hockey at the highest level he can, which helps keep him in shape.

“This is what I can play for now,” he said. “I know nobody here’s going to make it to the NHL. But it’s just to kind of push myself to always do my best and in terms of hockey, this is the best that I can. I still have fun doing it and as long as I do, I’ll still keep playing.”

Away from the rink, Harris works for the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMCH) as a Specialist of Operations where he builds systems to take in applications and ensures that loans are properly funded.

“It involves a lot of systems, a lot of reporting and data-quality reviews,” he said.

Plus, owning a rental property, Harris said he also invests in real estate and a number of other ventures as well.

“I have investments and side projects because the government is moreso just kind of a nine to five job,” he said.

As far as his hockey career goes, the 28-year-old Orleans-native, isn’t looking too far ahead.

Enjoying life for the time being, Harris plans on playing hockey at the highest level he can for as long as his body allows him to.

“I just want to do the best I can in general no matter where I end up, whether it’s work or hockey, the competitive side of me kind of keeps me motivated to excel in whatever field I’m in,” he said.

Pictured, Harris skates out of his zone with the puck against the Maniwaki Forestiers on Nov. 23, 2019.

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