DENVER – Forward
Sam Harris of University of Denver hockey team will return for his senior season with the Pioneers in 2026-27.
Harris enters next year as the nation's active leader in goals as he owns 52 tallies in 128 career games. He has also added 39 assists over the last three seasons with the Pioneers, winning two national championships with the program in 2024 and this past year in 2026. His 11 career game-winning goals are tied for the ninth-most in Denver history.
The San Diego, California, native is coming off a junior season where he tied for second on the team in scoring by matching a personal best with 35 points. Harris ranked third with 15 goals for his third collegiate campaign with 14 or more markers, and he also produced a career-best 20 assists during the year. His 132 shots on goal were second on the team behind only NCAA-leader
Eric Pohlkamp (188).
During the 2026 NCAA Tournament, Harris combined for four points (2g/2a) in four national postseason games. He was voted onto the NCAA West Regional All-Tournament Team after scoring in both games and combining for three points against Cornell (1g/1a) and Western Michigan (1g/0a) on March 27-29 in Loveland, Colorado. Additionally, he had an assist in Denver's double-overtime win against Michigan in the Frozen Four on April 9 in Las Vegas.
Harris, 22, matched a career-long point stretch last season with a nine-game run from Nov. 8-Dec. 12 (5g/5a), marking his third career point streak of eight or more games. He also went on a personal-best, seven-game assist streak from Feb. 7-March 7, 2026, the longest of the season by a Pioneer.
He had two multi-goal games during the year, with both coming against Arizona State. He tallied twice on Nov. 22 in Tempe before adding two more markers and an assist on Feb. 27 in a matchup at Magness Arena. Overall, he produced seven points (4g/3a) in the four outings versus the Sun Devils in 2025-26 and now owns 15 points (11g/4a) in 11 career contests against the opponent.
He scored his 50th career goal on Feb. 28 vs. ASU, becoming the 63rd player in program history to reach the half-century mark. He has suited up in 128 of a possible 131 games in his collegiate career and played in his 100th career outing on Nov. 29 versus Minnesota in the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame Game at Ball Arena.
Harris recorded a career-high 23 goals and was named to the All-NCHC Third Team in 2024-25 as DU reached the NCAA Frozen Four in St. Louis. He won his first national title with the Pioneers in 2023-24 after totaling 21 points (14g/7a), including scoring in the NCAA Northeast Regional Final against Cornel to help the squad secure its Frozen Four berth en route to a record 10th championship.
Prior to DU, Harris played two junior seasons with the Sioux Falls Stampede in the United States Hockey League where he compiled 46 goals and 45 assists from 2021-2023. He also previously played for the Shattuck-St. Mary's prep school in Minnesota and is a product of the San Diego Jr. Gulls and Anaheim Jr. Ducks programs.
Harris is 2023 NHL Draft pick of the Montreal Canadiens at No. 133 overall in the fifth round.
