‘He’s going to blow people away’
Stars rookie Heiskanen is already impressing teammates with his abilities
Stars defenceman Marc Methot heard the rumour this off-season that his old team wanted blue-line prospect Miro Heiskanen as part of any trade package involving Erik Karlsson.
The two-time Norris Trophy winner’s partner for five seasons with the Ottawa Senators, Methot knew perhaps better than anyone what Karlsson could bring to Dallas.
After playing alongside Heiskanen in the first month of his NHL career, it’s also clear to him why any potential deal involving the 19-year-old was probably a non-starter.
“Now that I’ve seen him play, I wouldn’t do that either,” Methot said. “He’s got so much potential.”
The third overall pick by Dallas at the 2017 NHL draft, Heiskanen has averaged 21 minutes, 53 seconds — including a career-high 27:10 in Saturday’s 4-3 overtime victory against the Washington Capitals — through 13 games to lead all rookies.
The smooth-skating Finn’s two goals, both of them game-winners, have come in his last five outings to go along with two assists.
“I expected a really fast game,” Heiskanen said. “I’m playing against the best players in the world. It’s a good gauge for me.
“Every game I’m feeling more comfortable. It’s going better and better.”
For all the skill Heiskanen possesses, and there’s a lot of it, Methot said the rookie’s most impressive attribute has been his attitude.
“The best part of his game is his head,” the 33-year-old said. “He’s such a good pro at his age, it’s incredible. At that age I was playing junior hockey.
“He’s in the NHL and he is contributing and playing a lot of minutes. I can’t say enough about him.”
The six-foot-one, 185pound Heiskanen suffered a concussion before Stars training camp last season and wound up staying in Finland for the duration of the 2017-18 campaign, registering 11 goals and 12 assists in 30 games with HIFK Helsinki.
That meant Heiskanen showed up as somewhat of an unknown quantity this September.
They certainly know all about him now, but it might take the rest of the hockey world a little time to catch up because of where he plays.
“His hockey IQ and skating ability together is special,” said 35-year-old centre Jason Spezza. “He’s going to hide in Dallas for a few years, nobody’s going to know what he’s up to, and then his numbers are going to speak for itself. He’s going to blow people away.”
Apart from what Heiskanen has between the ears, that skating stride Spezza mention is what’s stood out to Methot on the ice.
“Miro is so efficient,” he said. “He can get himself out of trouble all the time. It may not look like he’s flying, but he is.”
Teammate John Klingberg, meanwhile, is not surprised that Heiskanen has jumped right into the lineup as a big contributor.
“He’s that good so he’s supposed to play that many minutes,” said Klingberg. “His overall game, his gaps, his reads, is high-level. It’s impressive.”
Like his defence partner, Heiskanen heard his name mentioned in rumours and wants to repay the faith the organization showed.
“It feels great that they trust me,” he said.
Having played with Karlsson, eventually traded by Ottawa to the San Jose Sharks, Methot is hesitant to make comparisons between a rookie like Heiskanen and one of the best blue-liners in the world. But he sees similarities. “They’re both extremely confident with the puck,” he said. “Miro’s obviously very young, but I can only imagine what his projection will be like in five, six years. They’re both very calm, very smart with the puck, both have fantastic vision. Time will tell.”