Definitely left a good impression on me against the Wild. Doubt he makes the team, though. Preseason is preseason, and despite a good showing, he still has things to work on in the lower leagues. We'll see what happens.
D Ville Heinola - Manitoba Moose, AHL (2019, 20th, WPG)
- Thread starter MMC
- Start date
Already playing like an NHL player IMO, but knowing the Jets history, they never rush players, so I will be surprised to see him be a regular this season. Also, he needs to be stronger/faster so better play in the AHL this season. The Jets have stop gaps in Kulikov, Beaulieu on the left, and without Buff they have capable NHLers in Niku, Pionk, Poolman on the right.
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Kaako Kappo
Kaako Kappo
What a great pick. But we all knew that already. He has had no problems with the new pace or anything. Big brain player.
Mark Kandy
Habcoolic
MardyBum
Registered User
We have no idea. From the way he's played he deserves to be with the Jets, but who knows. He's still an 18 year old smaller defenseman.
As for the Moose, I think he has a contract with Lukko still, does the transfer agreement apply to the AHL as well? I thought I read somewhere it was NHL or Europe for Gustafsson and Heinola.
Atoyot
Registered User
- Jul 19, 2013
- 13,859
- 25,271
He's the only D playing with an NHLer tonight, so that leads me to think that he has a chance to get a look to start the season. Beyond that he'll likely get sent down and at that point it's kind of up to him to decide whether he wants to play in the AHL with a chance to get call-ups or to go back to Liiga. Regardless he's looking really, really good.
Winnipeg Jets
Lucky #7
Kid looks like Morrissey out there. Good outlet passes and doesn't get hemmed in the defensive zone. Most of his mistakes have been from being physically smaller than the opposition which shouldn't be a problem when he learns how to shift around in NHL traffic.
Really big fan of this player. I've liked him a lot for most of the last season. The entire time I found him to have been rated puzzlingly low, and I also went as far as to say that there really should be no logical reason to have Bowen Byram ranked higher than Heinola.
Even so, he's managed to adapt better than I thought he could. I was watching him play almost the entire game tonight, and he was very impressive. The opposition wasn't great, but the game he played is IMO clearly better than Kulikov's shown at his best, who I've always found to be an awful player. To be frank, Jets have such poor LHD depth that Heinola should be the #2 LHD behind Morrissey pretty easily from what I've seen.
Oh, just to make it clear: Beaulieau, awful player. Kulikov, awful player. Pionk, awful player. Jets really really love getting awful defensemen. By awful I mean "maybe #7 on a good team". This along with stuff like the trade up to pick Stanley made me feel like they had no clue what makes a defenseman good, so it was a pleasant surprise to see them actually picking Heinola who I really liked.
Even so, he's managed to adapt better than I thought he could. I was watching him play almost the entire game tonight, and he was very impressive. The opposition wasn't great, but the game he played is IMO clearly better than Kulikov's shown at his best, who I've always found to be an awful player. To be frank, Jets have such poor LHD depth that Heinola should be the #2 LHD behind Morrissey pretty easily from what I've seen.
Oh, just to make it clear: Beaulieau, awful player. Kulikov, awful player. Pionk, awful player. Jets really really love getting awful defensemen. By awful I mean "maybe #7 on a good team". This along with stuff like the trade up to pick Stanley made me feel like they had no clue what makes a defenseman good, so it was a pleasant surprise to see them actually picking Heinola who I really liked.
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Channelcat
Unhinged user
I see in him quite much similarities with Sebastian Aho. Of course they play different positions, but what is very similar in my opinion is that they both are a bit small for their position, both are underrated with their skating, which is really good, but they use it selectively with smarts and don’t skate like madmen constantly. And most importantly they both have sky high hockey IQ, which is clearly the most important ability that a hockey player can have.
I think this type of players might get a bit underrated when they are still developing physically, but their hockey IQ and smarts will usually show in substantial development and great adjusting to the play level year by year. I think Heinola really has sky as the limit as a NHL defenceman, and in my opinion he is even a tad better with his IQ than the spectacular Miro Heiskanen, although Heinola does lose to him by some margin with his skating speed. Excellent prospect anyway, and I wouldn’t really be surprised if he would have even a similar class career as Heiskanen will have. But this is not a claim or real expectation. I just see his potential even that high in the best case scenario.
I think this type of players might get a bit underrated when they are still developing physically, but their hockey IQ and smarts will usually show in substantial development and great adjusting to the play level year by year. I think Heinola really has sky as the limit as a NHL defenceman, and in my opinion he is even a tad better with his IQ than the spectacular Miro Heiskanen, although Heinola does lose to him by some margin with his skating speed. Excellent prospect anyway, and I wouldn’t really be surprised if he would have even a similar class career as Heiskanen will have. But this is not a claim or real expectation. I just see his potential even that high in the best case scenario.
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Watching him play, I think his skating was somewhat underrated prior to the draft. He's very efficient and seldom has to use an extra gear, but when he needs to he has a good burst.
He doesn't skate as well as Morrissey, but his skating is an asset. I think he might already have better vision and passing than Morrissey. He's not as strong defensively without the puck, but his positioning and effort are very good.
It's hard to think of a comparable NHLer. He is very precise and efficient in everything he does. Almost every pass is pinpoint and right on time.
Hard to remember a defenseman who's had a training camp this impressive for the Jets. He might not be ready to face top competition every night for a full NHL season, but he looks like a lock to be a solid NHL D by next season.
He doesn't skate as well as Morrissey, but his skating is an asset. I think he might already have better vision and passing than Morrissey. He's not as strong defensively without the puck, but his positioning and effort are very good.
It's hard to think of a comparable NHLer. He is very precise and efficient in everything he does. Almost every pass is pinpoint and right on time.
Hard to remember a defenseman who's had a training camp this impressive for the Jets. He might not be ready to face top competition every night for a full NHL season, but he looks like a lock to be a solid NHL D by next season.
cg98
Registered User
- Oct 10, 2017
- 2,799
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I think staying in NA playing big minutes with the Moose would be great for his development but I wouldn't mind if he decided to go back to Finland. Lots of options and opportunities for Heinola to further his development and will be a cornerstone for the future of our back end.
FinPanda
Team Finland 2022 WHC champions
Good to hear one of my favourites has done well. Was drafted lower than he should’ve.
Ryan Van Horne
aka Scribe
2019 was a deep draft, but shrewd teams drafting in the 15-31 range often profit from the hype train that obscures talents like Heinola.
My jaw dropped when Ottawa picked Thomson when Heinola was still on the board. Such stupidity and a classic scouting blunder. Pick the guy who looks good in highlights with his shot and other fluff tools but sucks otherwise vs the physically small, unassuming smooth and smart guy. The NA and CHL bias probably came to play as well, although it should've been obvious based on the WJC who had more potential.
Mrb1p
PRICERSTOPDAPUCK
Sucks is a big word, as Lassi doesnt suck, but Heinola is better than him for sure.
The kid is just so smart. Thinks the game at a very high level. I'm torn between keeping him on the team because he is so good defensively or sending him back to Liiga where he will get a lot more offensive opportunities to continue developing his offensive game.
MardyBum
Registered User
Absolutely earned a 9 game look, guess it all depends on what Chevy thinks is best for his development. He and Gustafsson have been really impressive this preseason.
MMC
Global Moderator
MardyBum
Registered User
Mrb1p
PRICERSTOPDAPUCK
Guess hes not going back for sure... Its getting late to send him back now. Hes either AHL bound or NHL. Not sure I like that for his offensive potential.
Mrb1p
PRICERSTOPDAPUCK
Why wouldnt he be able to ? opt-out clause? The season in Liiga is already two weeks old, if they plan on sendin ghim back, its a bad plan IMO. Means hes missed the whole camp and now he has to come in cold to play ? On top of jet lag ? Yeesh, thats bad management if it is. Keeping him up could be even worse though, as weve seen with Kotkaniemi.
Mark Kandy
Habcoolic
Heinola can play in the AHL, they don't HAVE to send him back to the Liiga even if he doesn't crack the NHL roster or if he's getting sent down after 9 games.
