In 2022, when the Montreal Canadiens acquired Emil Heineman from the Calgary Flames, he was virtually unknown to local fans.
Remember that Kent Hughes acquired him along with a first-round pick in 2022 (Filip Mesar), Tyler Pitlick and a fifth-round pick in 2023 (Yevgeni Volokhin) against Tyler Toffoli.
The 23-year-old Swede, without fanfare, is rolling with the Habs, having been traded twice before even arriving in North America. He was a Florida Panthers prospect from the start. He was also involved in the trade that sent Sam Bennett to Florida.
It was not because he was not an interesting prospect, quite the contrary, but because he had a high market value and we understand why today.
The 6-foot-2 winger stands out considerably with the CH this season, excelling in his 200-foot game, particularly on the forecheck and in the corners of the ice. He arrives like a train and more often than not takes the disc from his opponents, thanks to his underestimated physical strength.
And in addition to being practically impeccable defensively, he has been accumulating points regularly for several weeks, notably having served a whole pass for Joel Armia on his goal against the Lightning.
Heineman has accumulated a total of 16 points, including 9 goals, in 36 games this season, appearing in the top 10 of all rookie scorers in the NHL. Over a season of 82 games, we are talking about a production rate of 35 points, which is frankly impressive for a player on whom there was not necessarily any expectation before the start of the current season.
His trio with Jake Evans and Joel Armia is really effective and it has a positive impact on the team’s results, let’s note.
He has Artturi Lehkonen in his nose, that one!
They have similar playing styles, sure, but they do have their own respective flavors, but Heineman definitely has the potential to become a perfect fit for a top-6 finish, eventually.
Slowly, but surely, he gained confidence and became comfortable on North American ice rinks. So imagine when he is completely comfortable.
The best is yet to come in his case!
Related News :