Development camp: Late bloomer Harding made strides in OHL

CRANBERRY, Pa. -- The Penguins rounded out their 2024 draft class this summer by continuing to add to an area of need in the prospect pool, selecting right-handed defenseman Finn Harding in the seventh round.

Harding, a 19-year-old from the Mississauga Steelheads of the OHL, went undrafted in his first year of eligibility last summer. He started playing in the OHL a year later than many prospects do, with his rookie season being two years ago when he was 17.

While Harding has pretty good size and strength now at 6 foot 1 and 201 pounds, he was more of a late bloomer physically, which led to him getting overlooked in his first year of OHL eligibility, which then was a factor in getting passed over in his first year of draft eligibility.

"My first year of OHL eligibility, I was smaller and skinnier," Harding told me at the Penguins' development camp at the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex. "I didn't make it that year, so I worked hard to really put on some strength. I grew a little bit, and that helped, and I was fortunate enough to make it my next year. And ever since, I've just been working hard each and every day to keep improving."

When the Penguins drafted Harding last month in Las Vegas, director of amateur scouting Nick Pryor called Harding a "smart, intelligent defender" who "takes pride in his own end."

Asked to describe his own game, Harding backed up Pryor's assessment and said he "takes pride in my defense" first and foremost.

"I'm a defense-first defender," Harding added. "Stick-on-puck, then I'll follow through with body-on-body. I like to transition the puck too and move it up to my forwards."

Harding named Chris Tanev and Neal Pionk as two NHL defensemen he tries to model his game after, for their ability to "hold down the fort" but also get the puck up ice after taking care of business in their own end.

For someone who is defense-first, Harding definitely racks up the points. He had modest production in his rookie OHL season in 2022-23, with two goals and eight assists in 63 games. This year, he ranked No. 3 among Steelheads defensemen in scoring with 10 goals and 24 assists in 68 games.

As Harding heads back to the OHL for next season, he pointed to his mobility and overall skating as his biggest focuses, saying "it's so important in today's game to keep up with all these fast forwards."

Pryor said at the draft that the Penguins did their "due diligence" on Harding as a person and emphasized that he's a "high-character kid." In just speaking with him here for a little while, it's easy to see that -- one of the more polite, well-mannered prospects here. He's an easy kid to root for. The genuine excitement he has to take part in every step of a camp like this one is more than evident.

"I've had a blast so far," Harding told me. "It's such a great organization, they run a really great camp. I'm just trying to be a sponge and enjoy the moment."