Jets won’t rush Heinola into lineup

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This article was published 12/02/2024 (573 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Those pining for Ville Heinola to be recalled from the Manitoba Moose are going to have to wait a bit longer.

When asked for a scouting report on the play of Heinola after 12 American Hockey League games as the mobile defenceman works his way back from a fractured ankle, Winnipeg Jets head coach Rick Bowness vehemently declared he is not yet up to speed.

“First of all, that was a very serious injury that kid had. Is he back to where he was in training camp? No, he’s not, nor are we going to rush him,” said Bowness, following Monday’s practice. “It would not be fair to the kid to bring him back up here as much as we’d all love to see him.

“When he’s back to skating and feeling the way he did — what we saw in training camp — then that will be a discussion we’ll have then, at that point. But to this point, all we’re hearing is that no, he is not skating like he did in September.”

Heinola, who has three goals and five points with the Moose, had a strong training camp but was injured in the team’s final preseason game. Bowness has since stated the 22-year-old Finn would have been in the opening-night lineup had he not been sidelined.

The 20th overall pick from the 2019 Draft is still working to establish himself as a full-time NHL player and the long-term injury was the latest obstacle in that process. Although Heinola worked hard to get medical clearance to return to play, his next challenge is trying to make up for lost time.

Getting dropped into an NHL schedule between Game 50 and 60 is a lot different than the level of competition he was facing back in early October.

That’s part of the reason the Jets are proceeding with caution here, because they want to put him in a position to succeed.

“Again, it’s a young player. That’s a big challenge. The games are heated up now,” said Bowness. “You can’t throw a kid into it at this time of the season (when) he’s still looking to find his game. That’s unfair to him; it’s unfair to the team. So, we’ll make sure if it ever happens that we bring him back up — it probably will happen at some point — but we have to give him more time. It’s as simple as that.”

Thus, it will be Logan Stanley suiting up in a third consecutive game Wednesday, as Brenden Dillon serves the final game of his three-game suspension.

“He’s done a great job. It’s probably one of the hardest things to do in sports is sit out that long — one, physically but two, mentally, to stay focused,” said Jets defenceman Dylan DeMelo. “He’s been moving pretty good. He’s been moving the puck well, he’s made some strong, smart, simple plays and that’s what we need from him.”

Gustafsson activated

The Jets activated centre David Gustafsson from the injured reserve list Monday and assigned him to the Moose for a conditioning stint that can last up to two weeks.

Gustafsson, who has two goals and five points in 27 games this season, has been out of the Jets lineup since Dec. 22 as he’s dealt with a lower-body injury.

With Rasmus Kupari currently the 13th forward, this assignment will give Gustafsson an opportunity to get into some game action.

The Moose face the Calgary Wranglers on Tuesday in Calgary and have six games during the next 14 days, including home games against the Milwaukee Admirals on Saturday and Sunday.

Toninato clears wavers

The Jets also got some good news on the organizational depth front as forward Dominic Toninato cleared waivers Monday and was assigned to the Moose.

When injuries hit, Toninato did a solid job for the Jets chipping in a goal and five points in 15 games.

The Moose (17-24-1-1) have gone 5-1-1 during the past seven games after snapping an 11-game losing streak.

 

ken.wiebe@freepress.mb.ca

X: @WiebesWorld