Before long, Brant Harris should know where the next stage of his hockey career will take him.
The Estevan native saw his college career come to an end on March 15, as his University of Connecticut Huskies fell in two straight games to Robert Morris in the quarterfinals of the Atlantic Hockey Association playoffs.
Harris, a 24-year-old forward who captained the Huskies, tallied 11 goals and 26 points in 30 games in his senior season.
"Personally, the year was a little bit of a difficult one for me, being injured at the start of the year. I had high hopes of a high-scoring senior year. The team not going deep (in the playoffs) overshadowed it a bit from what we'd like to see. It was a pretty good year, but it was definitely a roller coaster a little bit," said Harris.
While a torn MCL early in the year slowed him down a bit, Harris still saw his game making progress this season.
"This year I think I was possessing the puck a little bit more, I had a little more confidence in my puck abilities. My skating might have lost a step just because of my MCL tear and playing with a brace up until Christmas. I might have lost a step and I don't know if I really got it back throughout the year."
Harris became UConn's all-time leading scorer in their Division 1 era this season, totalling 52 goals and 112 points in 141 career games.
As for the playoff loss to Robert Morris, Harris said the opponents were the better team.
"I think we just weren't matching their drive and their ability to get pucks to the net and they outworked us. We were a spot ahead of them in the standings, but ever since Christmas they had the best record in the league. They were playing their best hockey and we thought we could compete, but we just weren't playing our best hockey."
Now that his college career is over, Harris is seeking a pro contract over the summer.
Although he couldn't say much about the situation, he said he and his agent have "talked to teams and tried to figure out what the best route is."
The 6-foot-1, 205-pound former Estevan Bruin attended a pair of NHL development camps the last two summers, getting a look with the San Jose Sharks last year and the Washington Capitals in 2012.
"Those camps definitely helped my confidence and being able to play with a lot of those players in development camps (that) have been playing at the NHL level. I'd definitely say I can compete for a spot on an AHL team and wherever it goes from there, I don't know."
Although the focus now is on finding a place to play next year, Harris said he's grateful for his time with UConn.
"You spend four years in one place, you build a relationship with UConn and I think it's definitely something I'll miss and never forget. All the accomplishments I've had individually and team-wise are something I'll treasure and maybe something I'll think about when my hockey career's over."
