Heinola’s time to shine has arrived

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This article was published 16/12/2022 (1052 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

VANCOUVER — Step right up, Ville Heinola. Your time to shine has arrived.

The prized Winnipeg Jets prospect was called up to the big club on Friday and should get a chance to slide right into the lineup to replace Nate Schmidt, who has been placed on injured reserve.

Schmidt, 31, was on the receiving end of a heavy hit from Nashville’s Tanner Jeannot in the first period of Thursday’s game at Canada Life Centre, a 2-1 overtime victory for the hosts (19-9-1). He has entered concussion protocol and will now have to miss at least a week.

That opens the door for Heinola to take his spot on the blue line, including the second power-play unit where he could really show off his offensive instincts and skills. Winnipeg plays a pair of weekend games on the West Coast, starting in Vancouver on Saturday night (9 p.m.) against the Canucks and then wrapping up in Seattle on Sunday (7 p.m.) against the Kraken.

Heinola, who was drafted 20th overall in 2019, has 10 assists in 13 games with the Manitoba Moose this season, along with a team-best plus-15 rating. The 21-year-old Finn has 10 points (one goal, nine assists) in 27 career NHL games. He went pointless in two appearances with the Jets earlier this year.

Jets coach Rick Bowness liked what he saw of Heinola in training camp, but said the roster was crowded with offensive-minded defencemen including Schmidt, Josh Morrissey and Neal Pionk. He previously said an absence from one of those three would be the likeliest scenario for Heinola to get a legitimate shot.

Winnipeg also has Kyle Capobianco on the active roster, but the 25-year-old is more of a stay-at-home defenceman who has been a healthy scratch for all but three games this year. He’s also been battling an illness this week that was sweeping through the Jets room and didn’t participate in morning skate on Thursday. The Jets were off on Friday as they travelled to Vancouver, so his status is unknown.

However, the same could be said for Heinola, who sat out the last four Moose games with a non-COVID illness, including Thursday’s contest in Calgary. Presumably he would not have got the promotion if he wasn’t ready to play. The situation should become a bit clearer at Saturday’s morning skate at Rogers Arena.

As for the hit on Schmidt, no doubt plenty of Jets fans were up in arms over the fact no penalty was called. For the record, Bowness had no issue with it, nor did the NHL which imposed no sanctions on Friday.

“That’s hockey. He didn’t see him coming. He’s a big guy and Nate didn’t see him coming, clearly, ” Bowness said following the game.

Jets centre Adam Lowry fought Jeannot on the ensuing faceoff.

“I don’t necessarily think it’s a dirty hit, or anything like that, but anytime you see a teammate go down on a hard check… to be honest, I’m probably trying to make that same check if the roles are reversed,” said Lowry.

“But you want to defend your teammate, settle things down, get the focus back on playing. A lot of respect for Jeannot for answering the bell. He certainly doesn’t have to. You just want to show up for your teammates.”

Winnipeg’s injury list is a long one, with forwards Nikolaj Ehlers, Mason Appleton and Saku Maenalanen all out, along with defenceman Logan Stanley. Each is still multiple weeks from returning.

The Jets had another injury scare Thursday as forward Blake Wheeler took a deflected slapshot from Morrissey to his mid-section midway through the second period. He missed the rest of the frame, but was back on the bench to start the third. Teammates confirmed following the game the veteran was struck in a most sensitive area.

“He said he’s lucky he had three kids already,” said defenceman Dylan DeMelo. “He’s an absolute warrior for us. He plays through so much that nobody knows about. To see him come back… I would like to say he was himself, I don’t know if he felt the same. He’s such a warrior for us and such a great leader for our group.”

mike.mcintyre@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @mikemcintyrewpg