Rafaël Harvey-Pinard

Rafaël Harvey-Pinard (born January 6, 1999) is a Canadian professional ice hockey winger for the Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected in the seventh round, 201st overall, by the Canadiens in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft.

Junior
Harvey-Pinard entered the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) via the 2015 Entry Draft, in which he was taken in the eighth round by the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies. Despite his late selection, he had impressed the scouting staff of Rouyn-Noranda, who described him as "something like a first-round or second-round pick" in value. He was not taken in either the 2017 or 2018 NHL Entry Drafts, though after the latter he was invited by the Vegas Golden Knights to attend their 2018 fall training camp, where he drew encouragement from Vegas star Jonathan Marchessault, an undrafted player of similarly short stature. In his third and fourth seasons in the QMJHL, Harvey-Pinard was the captain of the Huskies. In the 2018–19 season, he led them in a historic year that included a 25-game winning streak and saw them win both the President's Cup as league champions and the Memorial Cup as champions of the Canadian Hockey League (CHL). Harvey-Pinard registered 40 goals and 45 assists during the regular season, and 20 points in 27 playoff games, almost half of those coming in the final round against the Halifax Mooseheads, including a hat-trick and two two-goal games. Despite his successes that year, he was not optimistic about being picked in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft and did not travel to Vancouver to attend in person. He was ultimately selected by the Montreal Canadiens in the seventh round, 201st overall.

After being deemed to have excelled at his first Canadiens rookie camp, he was sent back to the QMJHL. Rouyn-Noranda traded Harvey-Pinard to the Chicoutimi Saguenéens in advance of the 2019–20 season, and he was immediately named team captain. The Saguenéens proved to be one of the best teams in the league, with Harvey-Pinard recording 34 goals and 44 assists in 62 games. However, the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic led to the remainder of the season being cancelled, and both the President's Cup playoffs and the Memorial Cup were not held as a result. At the time of the cancellation, the Saguenéens were third across the league standings.

Professional
Following the completion of his major junior career, Harvey-Pinard was signed to a one-year contract with the Laval Rocket of the American Hockey League (AHL), the primary affiliate of the Canadiens, on May 29, 2020. In the pandemic-delayed 2020–21 season, he embarked on his professional career and registered 9 goals and 20 points in 36 regular season games. Towards the final stages of his rookie season, Harvey-Pinard was signed by the Canadiens to a two-year, entry-level contract, on May 13, 2021. He became known among many fans as "Lavallagher", a portmanteau of the city name and the surname of Canadiens forward Brendan Gallagher, to whom he was frequently compared in terms of stature, work ethic, and style of play.

Harvey-Pinard was recalled by the Canadiens following an outbreak of COVID-19 among the team's regulars in December 2021. He made his NHL debut on December 28, 2021 against the Tampa Bay Lightning, registering his first career NHL goal while skating on a line with Ryan Poehling and Cole Caufield. He played in two more games before being sent back to Laval. On April 20, 2022, he was recalled again from Laval. He scored his first career hat-trick on March 25, 2023, in an 8–2 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets. During this stretch of the 2022–23 season, with many of the team's players sidelined by injury, Harvey-Pinard earned the opportunity to play on the Canadiens' first line with team captain Nick Suzuki.

On July 3, 2023, Harvey-Pinard signed a two-year contract extension with the Canadiens with a value of $2.2 million.

Personal life
Harvey-Pinard's family owns and operates a local pizzeria in Arvida, Quebec. He has three siblings, including his sister, Katherine, who works as a sports journalist with the Montreal-based newspaper La Presse.