Jay Harrison

Jay Harrison (born November 3, 1982) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman who played for the Toronto Maple Leafs, Carolina Hurricanes and the Winnipeg Jets of the National Hockey League.

Playing career Amateur Harrison played in the 1996 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with the Whitby Wildcats minor ice hockey team. He later played as a 16-year-old for the Oshawa Legionnaires of the Ontario Junior Hockey League (OJHL). He was the 1st overall selection of the Brampton Battalion in the 1998 OHL Priority Selection. He spent four seasons in the OHL with the Battalion.

Professional Harrison was drafted by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the third round, 82nd overall, of the 2001 NHL entry draft. After spending four seasons in the American Hockey League (AHL) with Toronto's farm team, Harrison made his NHL debut on January 27, 2006, against the Montreal Canadiens, in which he registered his first NHL career point, coming in the form of an assist. On June 16, 2008, Harrison signed a one-year contract with EV Zug of the Swiss National League A, but on March 27, 2009, he returned to the Toronto Maple Leafs, signing a deal, pro-rated at $475,000, to play out the rest of the 2008–09 season.

On July 9, 2009, he signed a two-way contract with the Carolina Hurricanes that would pay him $500,000 in the NHL and $125,000 in the AHL. On October 9, 2009, he scored his first NHL goal in a 7–2 victory for the Hurricanes over the Florida Panthers.

During the 2014–15 season, Harrison was traded by the Hurricanes to the Winnipeg Jets in exchange for a 2015 NHL entry draft sixth round pick on December 18, 2014.

In the following 2015–16 season, on the eve of opening night on October 6, 2015, Harrison cleared waivers, and was reassigned to the Manitoba Moose of the American Hockey League. In returning to the AHL for the first time since 2010, Harrison appeared in 18 games with the Moose before he was included in a trade deadline deal by the Jets, along with Andrew Ladd and Matt Fraser to the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for Marko Daňo and a first-round pick in the 2016 NHL entry draft on February 25, 2016. He was immediately assigned to the Blackhawks AHL affiliate, the Rockford IceHogs.

Personal life Harrison and his wife Jodean have four daughters. The family moved to Bowmanville, Ontario following his retirement from hockey.

Harrison earned degrees in psychology and counselling and works for Game Change, a counselling service designed for athletes. He also serves as a consultant to the NHL on player assistance issues.

Career statistics Regular season and playoffs Regular seasonPlayoffs Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM 1997–98 Oshawa Legionaires MetJHL 47 10 12 22 126 — — — — — 1998–99 Brampton Battalion OHL 63 1 14 15 108 — — — — — 1999–00 Brampton Battalion OHL 68 2 18 20 139 6 0 2 2 15 2000–01 Brampton Battalion OHL 53 4 15 19 112 9 1 1 2 17 2001–02 Brampton Battalion OHL 61 12 31 43 116 — — — — — 2001–02 St. John's Maple Leafs AHL 7 0 1 1 2 10 0 0 0 4 2001–02 Memphis RiverKings CHL — — — — — 1 0 0 0 2 2002–03 St. John's Maple Leafs AHL 72 2 8 10 72 — — — — — 2003–04 St. John's Maple Leafs AHL 70 4 5 9 141 — — — — — 2004–05 St. John's Maple Leafs AHL 60 0 4 4 108 4 0 1 1 14 2005–06 Toronto Marlies AHL 57 9 20 29 100 5 1 3 4 8 2005–06 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 8 0 1 1 2 — — — — — 2006–07 Toronto Marlies AHL 41 4 14 18 68 — — — — — 2006–07 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 5 0 0 0 6 — — — — — 2007–08 Toronto Marlies AHL 69 13 14 27 73 18 2 10 12 35 2008–09 EV Zug NLA 41 6 9 15 46 — — — — — 2008–09 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 7 0 1 1 10 — — — — — 2009–10 Carolina Hurricanes NHL 38 1 5 6 50 — — — — — 2009–10 Albany River Rats AHL 32 2 12 14 22 8 0 3 3 23 2010–11 Carolina Hurricanes NHL 72 3 7 10 72 — — — — — 2011–12 Carolina Hurricanes NHL 72 9 14 23 60 — — — — — 2012–13 Carolina Hurricanes NHL 47 3 7 10 51 — — — — — 2013–14 Carolina Hurricanes NHL 68 4 11 15 44 — — — — — 2014–15 Carolina Hurricanes NHL 20 1 3 4 42 — — — — — 2014–15 Winnipeg Jets NHL 35 2 3 5 23 — — — — — 2015–16 Manitoba Moose AHL 18 3 2 5 17 — — — — — NHL totals 372 23 52 75 360 — — — — —

International Year Team Event GP G A Pts PIM 1999 Canada WJC18 3 1 0 1 2 2001 Canada WJC 7 0 0 0 2 2002 Canada WJC 7 0 1 1 6 2013 Canada WC 8 0 1 1 2 Junior totals 17 1 1 2 10 Senior totals 8 0 1 1 2

Awards and honours Award Year OHL All-Rookie Team 1999