Heiskanen has Stars in his eyes

It has been a busy year for Miro Heiskanen and it’s not over yet. The talented defenceman opened it at the world junior championship in Buffalo before becoming a mainstay on the Finnish men’s national team for the Pyeongchang Olympics and world hockey championship.

The 18-year-old has established himself as a reliable defenceman who has passed the test against top NHL talents. He has been responsible for stopping the offensive aces in Denmark, something Connor McDavid can attest to. Finland beat Canada and McDavid 5-1 on Saturday and Heiskanen contributed a great deal.

The obvious next step is the NHL. The Dallas Stars picked Heiskanen third overall in the 2017 NHL draft and signed him to a three-year entry level contract. He spent last season on loan with IFK Helsinki.

He finished with 23 points, including 11 goals, in the regular season and added three goals and nine points in the playoffs.

He said the transition has not been a problem.

“It was tough sometimes but mostly quite easy because I play with smarter players,” he said. The world tournament is proving is ready to stop the best.

“It’s nice to face those guys and see where I am,” Heiskanen said.

“It’s a good test to play them, maybe I will play them next year in the NHL. I want to play there as soon as possible, that’s my goal.”