Heinola ‘super excited to be back’ Jets hard-luck D-man finally back in the lineup By: Mike McIntyre Posted: 5:18 PM CST Monday, Nov. 25, 2024

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This article was published 25/11/2024 (652 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

ST. PAUL, Minn. — The emotion was written all over Ville Heinola’s face Monday as he prepared to play his first NHL game in more than 22 long — at times excruciatingly painful — months.

“Every time you watch the team play you just want to get out there and it kills you inside when you can’t,” Heinola told the Free Press following the Winnipeg Jets morning skate at Xcel Energy Center.

“I’m just happy it’s over now and I don’t have to worry about that.”

The watching and waiting and worrying finally ended as Heinola was in the Jets lineup for the first time since Jan. 19, 2023, as they took on the Minnesota Wild.

“It’s been a long journey for me, for sure,” said the 23-year-old smooth-skating, puck-moving defenceman, who was selected 20th overall in the 2019 NHL draft.

“It’s been a struggle to get back and feel good. But now it feels great and I’m super excited to be back.”

“Every time you watch the team play you just want to get out there and it kills you inside when you can’t.”–Ville Heinola

Heinola’s medical history is rather heartbreaking, given that he’s seen two golden opportunities vanish due to circumstances beyond his control.

The first occurred during training camp in 2023, when an impressive preseason meant he had earned a spot not only on the 23-man roster, but in the opening-night lineup as well. However, a broken ankle suffered in the final preseason tune-up set the course for a series of unfortunate events that would severely test the young Finn physically and mentally.

By the time he’d made a full recovery a few months later, the Jets were flying high with no room for him on a crowded, healthy blue line so Heinola spent the second half of the season with the Manitoba Moose, waiting for an opportunity that would never come.

Fast forward to 2024 training camp and, once again, the door was wide open. The Jets hadn’t re-signed free agents Brenden Dillon and Nate Schmidt, and Heinola was going to get a chance to play regular minutes. Before he could even get in an exhibition game, however, his surgically-repaired ankle developed an infection.

The only remedy was to go back under the knife, which would cost Heinola two more months of action.

“It’s been a long ride for him,” said Jets coach Scott Arniel.

“But it is what it is. That’s why we said to him that he’s waited long enough. We wanted to get him a couple of quick games down with the Moose. Now it’s a case of he’s here, so go and show us what you can do. He’s pretty excited and I know he’s been waiting for this moment for a long time.”

Heinola resumed skating a few weeks ago and agreed to a brief conditioning stint in the AHL, which culminated Saturday with him setting up the game-winning goal in the third period.

“I think it helps a lot. Obviously, it’s been a while since I played with those guys. So just getting my legs and everything back the way it was,” said Heinola.

“I feel like I had more power in my legs on Saturday. I think it takes a little bit to get back into game shape. But I’ve been working hard in the gym every single day, so I’m not really worried about my conditioning.”

For a change, Heinola’s timing couldn’t be better. His return comes after Dylan Samberg suffered a broken foot in Nashville on Saturday night, sidelining him indefinitely.

“Every time you see a guy go down it’s not a great feeling. For me, especially, I know how it is to not play and be out for a while,” said Heinola. “But I just hope he has a quick recovery and will be back soon.”

Although Samberg and Heinola are very different players, the Jets were glad to have an injection of talent and youthful energy in their lineup.

“The perseverance is incredible,” said defenceman Neal Pionk.

“You see what he went through last year, you feel awful for him. There’s not a whole lot you can do. This year, you get all excited for him and you kind of look at things through his eyes and then he gets the bad news again in training camp and you just feel for him. I’m excited for him. You look at it as a bit of a morale boost.”

“The perseverance is incredible.”–Neal Pionk

Heinola took Samberg’s spot on the roster, but not immediately in the defence pairings. Haydn Fleury moved up to skate beside Pionk, while Heinola started Monday’s game with Colin Miller.

“We’ve been talking a lot. Obviously, we haven’t played together yet. But he’s a great guy,” said Heinola.

“He talks a lot, so it should make my job pretty easy to play with him. He’s obviously a great player. So I think we’re going to play pretty well together.

Heinola could certainly find himself moving up the lineup, especially if he can show the form that has made him one of the best young defenceman in the AHL.

“I just want to move him in slowly here, get him in the mix, get him feeling comfortable,” said Arniel.

“Obviously, the pace is going to be even higher than it was on the weekend for him. He’s a mobile, real-good pass-first defenceman and we just want to get him comfortable, to get out there and feeling good and then we’ll see where it goes from there.”

There’s no timeline for Samberg’s return. His toughness was on display as he blocked the Steven Stamkos slap shot, then managed to pick himself up, continue the shift and even try to get in the way of another blast before limping back to the bench.

“That’s how tough he is,” Pionk said of his blue-line partner.

“Not only that, but he skated off the ice on his own power. With a broken bone in his foot. That’s no joke. It says a lot about him. He’s willing to do the little things for the team. He always has. That’s one of his specialties, shot-blocking, he’s a warrior.”

Dylan Coghlan is the only other healthy defenceman on the roster right now. The right-shot journeyman was a healthy scratch for a 22nd consecutive game on Monday.

Logan Stanley has been sidelined since Nov. 9 with a mid-body injury, but took another step in his recovery as he joined the Jets for morning skate, albeit in a yellow non-contact jersey. He’s not expected to be ready for at least another week.

“We’re going to have to step up by committee,” said Pionk.

mike.mcintyre@freepress.mb.ca

X and Bluesky: @mikemcintyrewpg