His 1981 Cleveland American's Pee Wee team finished third in the nation, which also featured his younger brother Brett Harkins.

Harkins stayed to the minor leagues until he went over to Europe in 1997, playing first in the German Deutsche Eishockey Liga, and then the Swiss Nationalliga A.

[8] As a result of appearing in the movie, Harkins was cast in the first season of Making the Cut, a reality television show on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation that follows amateur players competing for an invitation to an NHL training camp.

Harkins was a first year head coach of the North West Vancouver Giants in the BC Hockey Major Midget League for the 2010–11 season and led the team to the BC League and Playoff Provincial Championships, sweeping the Alberta champions to earn the Pacific Region berth in the National Midget Hockey Championships (The Telus Cup).

[citation needed] He was awarded the BC Hockey Association Coach of the Year that season and served a second season as head coach in 2011–12, again winning league and playoff Provincial Championships, before losing the eventual National Champion Alberta team in the bid to attend the second Telus Cup in as many years.

The following season, in accordance with BC Hockey Association rules, he stepped down when his middle son Jansen was selected to the team.

While at the North Shore Winter Club he coached the 2002–03 Pee Wee AAA Team, winning the Provincial Championships.

[citation needed] In 2005, Harkins returned to the bench to coach the 2005–06 edition of the North Shore Winter Club Pee Wee AAA team.

In 2009, he served as director of player personnel and scouting for the Burnaby Express, a junior "A" team also of the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL).

On July 15, 2014, Harkins accepted a five-year contract as general manager for the Prince George Cougars of the Western Hockey League (WHL), but was released after four seasons.