The Chicago Blackhawks are receiving a former St. Albert Raider after drafting Taige Harding 91st overall at the 2021 NHL Entry Draft. The hulking 6’7” defenceman has had an interesting route to get to this point.
Born in Irvine, Scotland, Harding became just the third Scottish-born player to be drafted by an NHL team and the first since the Philadelphia Flyers selected Colin Shields in the 2000 NHL Draft. The selection also made him the highest selected player from the nation.
This might sound a tad surprising since hockey is not usually connected to Scotland, but he didn’t spend a lot of time in his birth country. His father, Mike, is originally from Edmonton and was playing in the UK hockey league when Taige was born. At the age of two, Mike had retired from professional hockey and brought his family to St. Albert, where they have lived ever since.
Taige is effectively a St. Albertan by every account despite being born outside the country. He spent his minor hockey years playing in the community and eventually found himself playing for the Raiders.
“My dad coached me from a young age [here in St. Albert] and going up from peewee to bantam and joining the Raiders program was just top-notch,” said Harding. “I owe a lot to [the Raiders] for my development and for making me a better player and person.”
This isn’t the first year Harding was keeping his eyes peeled on the NHL Draft. He was actually eligible for last year’s draft but went unselected. This time around he entered as an over-ager and the Blackhawks decided they liked what they saw from his play this time around.
Harding said the feeling of hearing his name called was something he struggled to process at first.
“It is honestly pretty hard to put into words, it was pretty surreal,” said Harding. “I still have to get to [the NHL] level and have to work toward getting to that level, but to get that accomplishment is something I will never forget.”
He wasn’t alone in celebrating. He was watching the draft with friends and family who have supported him over the course of his career. Harding said he’s grateful to have such a good system of support in place.
“I wouldn’t be anywhere without family, so having them to share that with was awesome,” said Harding. “I think they were almost more excited than me, so it was a pretty special day.”
Of course, there are never any guarantees when getting drafted. Heading into the draft Harding wasn’t ranked by NHL central scouting’s list. However, Harding had a gut feeling he’d hear his name called at some point.
“I had a pretty good idea that I’d be drafted ... obviously, nothing is for sure, but we were hoping for the best,” said Harding. “It was pretty relieving when we heard my name called.”
Harding has been playing in the Alberta Junior Hockey League with the Fort McMurray Oil Barons for the past two seasons. He has gained a reputation for being a hard-nosed player who can punish opposing fore-checkers who dare to challenge his defensive zone.
You won’t see him there next year, however, as he has already committed to play the 2021-2022 season with Providence College in the NCAA. There he will continue to grow as a player with the hopes to one day don the iconic Blackhawks jersey at the NHL.
Harding said joining an original-six franchise with so much history is something he is excited to get going.
“It’s super cool, they’ve won three cups in the last 15 years, and I’ve watched them growing up,” said Harding. “It’s definitely a dream come true.”
