Headlines

Go To MLB Trade Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Ville Heinola

Nate Schmidt Placed On Injured Reserve

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The Winnipeg Jets have quickly moved Nate Schmidt to injured reserve after he suffered an upper-body injury last night. After the game, head coach Rick Bowness confirmed to Murat Ates of The Athletic that Schmidt had been placed in the concussion protocol. In his place, the team has recalled Ville Heinola under emergency conditions.

Schmidt took a huge hit from Tanner Jeannot and stayed down, while the Nashville Predators forward did not receive a penalty on the play. With him exiting after just 5:30, the Jets leaned heavily on the trio of Josh Morrissey, Neal Pionk, and Brenden Dillon, with the latter even getting some unexpected powerplay time. Morrissey played more than 27 minutes in the overtime win.

It’s a good opportunity for Heinola, even if it does through an injury. The 21-year-old defenseman has been something of a squeaky wheel this season, with his agent publicly acknowledging frustration about how the Jets have used him. The 20th overall pick from 2019 can’t seem to secure any consistent NHL playing time, and has just 27 appearances over parts of four seasons.

Schmidt, meanwhile, had played in 29 games this season, averaging just over 20 minutes a night before exiting last night early.

Winnipeg Jets Activate Morgan Barron, Assign Ville Heinola To AHL

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

Just ahead of their game this evening against the Chicago Blackhawks, the Winnipeg Jets activated forward Morgan Barron off of IR. Barron had missed the last 10 games with a wrist injury. In order to create roster space for Barron, the Jets also announced they’ve assigned defenseman Ville Heinola to the Manitoba Moose of the AHL.

Getting Barron back into the lineup is a relief for Winnipeg, who had been playing down several forwards, including Barron, Nikolaj Ehlers, and Mason Appleton. Acquired in the Andrew Copp trade this past spring, Barron had been off to a solid start in 2021-22, registering four points in nine games, appearing to establish himself as a full-time NHLer for the first time in his career. With Winnipeg’s injury issues up front, Barron should have ample opportunity to continue to establish himself.

Heinola, unlike Barron, has had trouble getting his footing in the NHL, something that has become a pretty well reported story in its own right. The defenseman has only appeared in two games this season for the Jets, but does have seven assists in 10 games for the Moose to start. For his career, Heinola has played in just 27 NHL games spread over three seasons, recording 10 points, but will have to continue to sharpen his skillset in the AHL in order to take the next step.

West Notes: Jets, Vaakanainen, Avalanche, Stone

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

Despite dealing with multiple injuries up front, the Jets enter play today sitting in second place in the Central Division thanks to a resurgent season from Connor Hellebuyck and some improved defensive play from some of their veteran blueliners under new head coach Rick Bowness.  Accordingly, Mike McIntyre of the Winnipeg Free Press wonders if instead of moving one of those veteran rearguards to make room for a youngster, they instead turn around and move one of those younger defensemen to acquire some help up front.  Ville Heinola is just now getting his feet wet this season after starting the season in the minors while Logan Stanley has been out for a month and might have a hard time getting back into the lineup when healthy.  Both players carry cap hits under $1MM which would be enticing to cap-strapped teams while Winnipeg has a little over $1.7MM in cap room at the moment per CapFriendly which would give them some extra flexibility to take on a more expensive forward in return.

More from the West:

  • Ducks defenseman Urho Vaakanainen has resumed practicing as he works his way back from an injury sustained late in the preseason, relays Lisa Dillman of the Orange County Register. He was injured at the end of September when he went crashing into the boards where he had to be stretchered off the ice.  There’s still no firm timeline for his return but the fact he’s now skating with the team suggests he should be back sooner than later.  He’d be a welcome addition to an Anaheim back end that has struggled so far this season; the 23-year-old logged more than 19 minutes a game after joining them at the trade deadline a year ago.
  • As expected, the Avalanche have recalled wingers Sampo Ranta and Anton Blidh from the minors, per the AHL’s transactions listing. Colorado has been shuffling waiver-exempt players back and forth all season long in an effort to try to bank some extra cap space, something that is harder to do with the team currently in LTIR.  Ranta and Blidh have played in three and four games respectively with the Avs so far this season.
  • Flames defenseman Michael Stone has been activated off injured reserve, reports Sportsnet 960’s Pat Steinberg (Twitter link). The veteran has missed the last ten games due to an undisclosed injury after putting up two goals and three assists in his first ten contests this season.  Calgary had an open roster spot so they didn’t need to make any corresponding move to activate Stone.

Winnipeg Jets Recall Ville Heinola

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

Earlier this month, the agent for Ville Heinola told The Hockey News that his client deserved “a shot to play a run of games to show he can do it” at the NHL level. The young defenseman has been bounced up and down between leagues for his whole career so far, failing to get much consistency from the Winnipeg Jets organization. Perhaps now the squeaky wheel will get some grease. Heinola has been recalled to the Jets roster after they moved Mason Appleton to injured reserve.

Of course, given that Appleton is a forward, this could just be more time in the press box for Heinola. The Jets have allowed the fewest goals in the league so far this season and already had seven defensemen on the roster. If he does get in, there’s certainly no guarantee he stays there, though his play in the minor leagues once again suggests he’s ready for a bigger role in the organization.

Since almost the moment he was drafted 20th overall in 2019, Heinola has been on the fringe of the NHL. He made the team out of camp just a few months after being picked, and recorded five points in eight games with the Jets as a rookie. He played another five games the year following, and 12 last season. Interspersed with those short NHL stints have been stretches in the AHL, where he has 45 points in 74 games, but that is sort of where the problem lies. Now in his fourth season in the organization, he has played just 99 regular season games in North America (plus 19 in Finland while leagues here were shut down).

It’s hard to know exactly what Heinola is at this point with such little playing time, though one thing you can be sure of is that he’s not a big, physical presence. As the league moves more and more toward length and reach on defense, some players like Heinola are left on the outside. None of the other seven Jets defensemen are under 6’0″, and the smallest one, Neal Pionk, might be the most physical.

There is definitely NHL upside in the 5’11” Heinola, but it remains to be seen whether the Jets will give him that “shot” he is looking for. At least he’ll be making the NHL portion of his contract for the duration of this latest recall.

Snapshots: Heinola, Blackwood, Letang

at CDT | by 1 Comment

Ville Heinola, a member of the Winnipeg Jets organization, was once one of the fastest-rising prospects from the 2019 NHL draft. He had an impressive training camp and preseason in the fall of 2019, and earned a look on the team’s season-opening roster. Heinola scored five points in eight games before being sent down to the AHL and then eventually departing to play in his native Finland, and most were of the belief that Heinola was nearing a role as a regular defenseman in Winnipeg. Since that point, though, Heinola has skated in just 17 more NHL games, and currently finds himself on the outside looking in on the team’s blueline situation.

Apparently, this hasn’t sat well with Heinola or his camp. Heinola is “reportedly growing frustrated with being sent to the AHL” again this season, according to his agent, Alain Roy, via The Hockey News’ Jacob Stoller. “Ville doesn’t deserve a guaranteed spot in the lineup,” Roy said. “He deserves a shot to play a run of games to show he can do it. And that’s all we’re asking for.” Heinola is just 21 years old and a talented puck mover, but he hasn’t yet shown the defensive prowess or strength and speed combination that would force the Jets’ hand. With Josh Morrissey, Dylan Samberg, and Brenden Dillon each occupying spots on the left side of the Jets’ blueline, Winnipeg may not be able to afford Heinola the “run of games” he desires.

Some other notes from across the NHL:

  • The New Jersey Devils are the NHL’s hottest team at the moment, but goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood has not been one of the team’s bright spots. Blackwood has an .880 save percentage this year, and it appears he now has to face another issue beyond just his performance. Devils coach Lindy Ruff said, as relayed by Devils team reporter Amanda Stein, that Blackwood is “meeting with doctors” in Calgary today. Blackwood left his last game in discomfort, and this could be a signal that he might miss some time.
  • The Pittsburgh Penguins have gotten off to a slow start so far this season, and among many reasons for the team’s lackluster performance has been the uneven start from star defenseman Kris Letang. Letang hasn’t been his best so far this season, and today we received some explanation as to why. Per Letang, he has been battling an illness and has been playing through it for the past stretch of games. The Penguins are eager to get their season back on track quickly given how competitive the Metropolitan Division looks, so getting Letang back to full health would be a major step toward getting there.

West Notes: Labanc, Jets, Weegar

at CDT | by 1 Comment

Sharks winger Kevin Labanc has fully recovered from the shoulder woes that plagued him last season and he will be ready for training camp later this month, notes Corey Masisak of The Athletic (Twitter link).  He originally suffered the injury back in December and while it looked like he might be able to return late in the year, that didn’t wind up happening.  The 26-year-old had just three goals and three assists in 21 games before the injury, leading to some speculation that he could have been a buyout candidate for San Jose this summer although they obviously didn’t go that route.  With two years left on his contract that carries a $4.725MM AAV, the Sharks will be counting on a bounce-back year from their second-highest-paid winger.

More from around the Western Conference:

  • With both Ville Heinola and Dylan Samberg potentially being ready for full-time NHL duty, Scott Billeck of the Winnipeg Sun suggests that one of Dylan DeMelo or Brenden Dillon could be a possible trade candidate for Winnipeg over the coming weeks. The Jets are one of the few teams that still has ample cap space at their disposal – more than $5.5MM, per CapFriendly – providing them with an opportunity to still add to their forward group.  DeMelo and Dillon are on affordable contracts ($3MM and $3.9MM, respectively) so swapping one for a forward of note could create a spot for one of those youngsters and give them a boost up front, a win-win situation for them.
  • While the Flames and Jonathan Huberdeau quickly reached an agreement on an extension after their summer trade with Florida, the same hasn’t happened yet with the other Calgary newcomer in MacKenzie Weegar. However, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports in the latest 32 Thoughts podcast (audio link) that the two sides are indeed quietly talking about a new deal.  The 28-year-old is coming off a career year that saw him put up 44 points in 80 games while logging over 23 minutes per night, numbers that will give him a chance at doubling his current $3.25MM AAV on his next contract.

Winnipeg Jets Re-Assign Ville Heinola To Manitoba

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

After getting a long look at the NHL level over the past few weeks, the Winnipeg Jets have opted to send defenseman Ville Heinola back down to the AHL’s Manitoba Moose.

Heinola’s played in eight NHL games this season, an auspicious number considering the 10-game ’entry-level slide’ rule that can apply to young prospects on entry-level deals. This isn’t a contractual move, though, as the Jets have already slid the beginning of Heinola’s entry-level deal twice, meaning the clause no longer applies.

After being drafted 20th overall in 2019, Heinola immediately signed his entry-level deal with the team. He’d played in 13 NHL games prior to this season, notching a goal and four assists.

This season, he’d notched two points in another eight games, but averaged under 14 minutes a game and saw limited usage. At this point in time, the team’s decided they trust Logan Stanley more in an NHL role, opting to send Heinola back to the Moose. There, he has 16 points in 25 games this year, continuing to develop his all-around game.

Jets Announce Several Roster Moves

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

Prior to their game tonight against Florida, the Jets announced (Twitter link) quite a few roster moves.  Defensemen Dylan DeMelo and Logan Stanley were both placed on injured reserve while fellow blueliner Josh Morrissey entered COVID protocol.  That resulted in the recalls of rearguards Ville Heinola and Johnny Kovacevic from the taxi squad as well as forward Kristian Reichel.  In order to get cap-compliant to make those moves, goaltender Mikhail Berdin was sent back to the taxi squad while center David Gustafsson was transferred to LTIR.

DeMelo suffered an upper-body injury back on Saturday against Boston and has been listed as day-to-day since then; if the IR placement was backdated, he will be eligible to return as soon as this weekend.  As for Stanley, he was injured back on Thursday with interim head coach Dave Lowry telling reporters, including Sportsnet’s Ken Wiebe (Twitter link) that Stanley’s designation is longer than day-to-day.  At this point, the fact that they didn’t see fit to place him on LTIR should at least be considered as some cause for optimism as that would have forced him to miss 10 games and 24 days.  That’s what will happen for Gustafsson although he last played nearly three weeks ago and assuming his placement was backdated, he could be back as soon as next week.

The loss of Morrissey will certainly be a big loss for the Jets in the short term as he logs just shy of 23 minutes a game on the back end, the most of anyone on the team.  He’ll be out for at least five days as a result of this placement as long as it’s for a confirmed positive test.

As for the recalls, Heinola is the most experienced with 13 career games under his belt although none of them have come this season as Winnipeg has opted to have the 2019 first-rounder develop with a consistent role in the AHL where he has chipped in with 16 points in 24 games.  Reichel made his NHL debut last month and has played in five games overall this season, picking up his first career NHL goal in the process.  Meanwhile, Kovacevic is in his fourth season in Winnipeg’s system and this is his first career recall to the big club.  He has 14 points in 32 games with AHL Manitoba so far in 2021-22.

Jets Notes: Copp, Heinola, Little

at CDT | by 2 Comments

Two summers ago, the Jets surprisingly went to salary arbitration with forward Andrew Copp following a then career-best 28-point campaign and he was ultimately awarded a two-year deal with an AAV of $2.28MM.  The 26-year-old will be in need of a new deal this offseason in his final season of RFA eligibility but told reporters, including Ted Wyman of the Winnipeg Sun, that what happened then won’t have any bearing on negotiations now.  Copp is certainly in the drivers’ seat when it comes to these discussions.  He’s coming off a 39-point season and is a year away from being eligible for unrestricted free agency so if early talks don’t go well, he can just file for arbitration, still walk away with a fair-sized raise, and hit the open market in 2022.

More from Winnipeg:

  • The lack of NHL action for defenseman Ville Heinola raised some eyebrows this season but Wyman notes in a separate column that it wasn’t due to the team wanting his contract to slide another season. That ultimately happened as he suited up just five times in 2020-21, allowing for another automatic one-year extension; he’ll still have three years on his entry-level deal next season.  Head coach Paul Maurice indicated some depth on the left side of the back end and a need to get faster as the reasons that the 20-year-old was rarely able to get into the lineup.
  • Jets forward Bryan Little missed all of this season due to a perforated eardrum and while he hasn’t retired, GM Kevin Cheveldayoff stated as his end-of-season press conference (video link) that he remains unavailable and that “there are no medical opinions that say that he should play”. The 33-year-old has three years remaining on his contract with a cap hit of just under $5.3MM and assuming he’s unable to return, he’ll spend that time on LTIR as he did this season.

Taxi Squad Shuffle: 1/23/21

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

It appears as though there will be daily movement this season between the active roster and taxi squad. Although some major names may be highlighted in separate articles, this is where you’ll find the majority of shuffle news each day.

  • The Canadiens announced (Twitter link) that they have recalled winger Corey Perry from the taxi squad. He’s expected to make his Montreal debut today against Vancouver with Joel Armia out with a concussion and Paul Byron questionable with a foot injury.
  • Ville Heinola is heading back to Winnipeg’s taxi squad as the Jets announced (Twitter links) that the blueliner has been sent down to make room for Dylan DeMelo’s return to the lineup. Heinola logged just over 14 minutes in his season debut on Thursday against Ottawa.  Anton Forsberg was added to the active roster after passing through his quarantine period which allowed them to send Mikhail Berdin to AHL Manitoba.  Winnipeg also recalled center David Gustafsson from the taxi squad while designating newly-acquired Pierre-Luc Dubois as a non-roster player.
  • The Senators announced (Twitter link) that they have recalled Micheal Haley from the taxi squad. The rugged winger will take the place of Tim Stutzle who was placed on IR retroactive to January 16.  Today would mark the seven-day requirement to be on there so he’ll be eligible to be activated at any time.
  • The Maple Leafs announced (via Twitter) that they’ve added center Travis Boyd to their active roster and that he will join the team for their upcoming road trip.  The 27-year-old had 10 points in just 24 games with Washington last season but cleared waivers at the end of training camp.
  • Lias Andersson’s time with the taxi squad was short-lived as the Kings revealed (Twitter link) that he has been recalled to the active roster.  It’s the third time he has been recalled already this season and despite going back and forth, the center has played in two games with Los Angeles in the early going.
  • Samuel Morin is on this list for the third straight day as the Flyers announced (via Twitter) they’ve promoted him from the taxi squad once again.  He’s trying to convert himself into a winger after playing defense throughout his career up until this season but has yet to suit up in 2020-21.
  • With AHL training camps getting underway, the Panthers have sent defensemen Brady Keeper and Riley Stillman to Syracuse, per a release from the Crunch.  Stillman has played once with Florida this season, logging nearly 17 minutes back on Tuesday while Keeper has been with the taxi squad since the start of the season.

Pro Hockey Rumors is not affiliated with National Hockey League, NHL or NHL.com

scroll to top