https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/665547 ... d_article
The article goes on from there but I won’t post the whole thing.At Jets camp, a prospect left behind tries to prove he belongs in the NHL
When Ville Heinola was drafted in the first round in 2019, he had no way of knowing how quickly the Winnipeg Jets’ defence corps would be torn apart. He was an undersized, offensively gifted 18-year-old with limited English, raised on skid steers and frigid Finnish winters. It seemed clear that he needed to get better at defending against big, strong, veteran pro players before he could make an NHL club.
Then, a series of free-agency departures, Dustin Byfuglien’s sudden retirement and a slew of injuries put Heinola in the Jets’ opening-night lineup. Three and a half months after getting drafted, he was an NHL player. In his fourth career game, he one-timed a Mark Scheifele centering feed past the Pittsburgh Penguins’ Matt Murray for his first NHL goal.
“I was dreaming of that,” he said that night.
Six years later, Heinola’s dream come true in Pittsburgh is still the peak of his pro career. He was the first 2001-born player to score an NHL goal but still hasn’t scored his second one — or even played a full season in the league.
When COVID-19 hit, Winnipeg placed Heinola on its NHL “taxi squad” for much of 2020-21; it seemed like a great development opportunity, but over a month passed without him playing a game. The Jets acquired high-end veterans the year after that, relegating Heinola to a starring role in the minors.
Two seasons ago, it looked like Heinola had finally won another NHL job at training camp, but he broke his ankle in his final preseason game. This led to surgery, the installation of a screw in Heinola’s ankle, and a months-long rehabilitation process that limited him for the rest of the season. Last season, Heinola’s surgically repaired ankle became infected, necessitating a second surgery — and a second rehabilitation process along with it.
“I’m not going to lie,” Heinola says now. “I was in a dark place for a couple of months.”
Heinola is 24 years old now. Six years in North America have improved his English. He can articulate the pain he’s been through and the hope he feels now that his ankle has healed for the second time.
“Last year, it hit me hard when the injury happened. It was more tough for me mentally, going through it again and just knowing the rehab and knowing how long it takes,” he says. “Everything went well. The ankle feels great. It’s such a relief, and I just want to enjoy hockey now.”
But Heinola’s sliding-doors moment is now ancient history. Instead of the seas parting for him, with multiple departures and injuries creating a route straight to the NHL, Heinola is the forgotten defenceman at Jets camp. There are eight veterans ahead of him on Winnipeg’s depth chart — plus 21-year-old Elias Salomonsson replacing him as the Jets’ top defensive prospect — with a maximum of eight jobs available to win.
A couple thoughts. First is that this is a prime example of a prospect rushed to the NHL. Clearly he had skill but thrust into the NHL at age 18? He should’ve been in Jrs or back in Finland bouncing between their Jr and pro leagues for another year or two. This seemed to really stunt his development. It’s why I’d be hesitant to thrust someone like Carbonneau into the lineup yet this season. A winger has much less responsibility than a d-man but still, the NHL is the best league in the world and it’s why Army says that teams fail prospects more often than prospects fail teams. They’re rushed and/or not given the right development opportunities. I trust the Blues will do the right thing but just found this article to be a prime example of what can happen when you rush a player.
Another example IMO would be Zach Benson. I think he’s going to be a good NHLer for a long time but I think the Sabres very well could’ve stunted his offensive development by thrusting him into the NHL at age 18. The probably is you can never play out both scenarios to ever prove that right or wrong.
Secondly, Heinola seems like he’s very much on the outside looking in to make the Jets out of camp. I don’t know a ton about him but I could certainly see a scenario where he’s a better option than Kessel. He’d offer a different look than Tucker too if we’re playing an opponent where Tucker’s slow feet could be more likely to be exploited.
Just food for thought but it’s an interesting look into the world of hockey and the butterfly effects that sometimes make or break a young player’s career.
Whether it’s the Jets, Blues or some other team, hopefully Heinola can get a quality shot with a team this season and hopefully get his foot in the door and make it in this league.
