Prospect Info: Emil Heineman

[Scriptor]

Glad he’s been able to show and prove some to end the year. Should help him hit the ground running next year.

Should definitely give him confidence coming into camp.

What a pickup by Kent. Not many flaws in his game and can skate with the best of em. He's defensive proud like Lecks use to be with the same competitive attitude. I see him becoming the CC to Suzy for Dach, sometimes such complementary players were meant to play together. Should be called up already with Farell/Ylonen sent down.

Maybe he could even be a good fit with Caufield and Suzuki, justifying Dach at C on another line instead of on the wing with Caufield and Suzuki?

 

[Scriptor]

Heiny is showing he doesn't belong in the AHL right now, I'm very high on Farell but these two need to switch. Send Ylonen or Pitlick back for the playoff, Emil deserves his taste.

Agreed on Hoffman but im not worried, he will loose his spot himself for a more deserving youngster next year... before getting dumped. Andy I keep unless the right package comes up, he's playing good hockey and isnt overpaid despite the hate.

I also see RHP being the Marchand to Caufield and Suzuki's line. Size doesn't matter when you've got smarts and heart.

Too small with Caufield for the first line. Need a puck-possession beast/puck digger for the 1st line. If Heineman shows chemistry with Caufield and Suzuki, he would be a better fit than RHP and than Anderson, because he has better defensive awareness and commitment, plus plays heavy and skates like the wind for the forecheck and to come up with loose pucks.

 

[Scriptor]

Both Havrey-Pinard and Ylonen will have to clear waivers next season. So it's either you trade them or they will play in Montréal. There is no reason to trade them, both are showing good things, so the will play for the Habs next year. After that there will be a lot of competition with all the young guys we have and likely two top-15 picks this year. plus veterans and a surplus of young Ds that will end up in some trade in the next two years. So next year you send Farrell, Roy, Kidney to Laval, and I would also send Slaf there, but it won't happen. Hughes and Gorton will not do it. They are all in with this big kid, for good or bad. The initial mistake was made, they won't turn back.

Playing a year in Montreal, before all the other prospects are more ready to stake a claim as NHLers will establish the value of Ylonen and RHP on the trade front.

Laval is going to be insane next year, but I don't agree that we won't get Bedard

Fine, we get Bedard, then.

 

[MasterD]

You made that lineup from the available players.



Caufield-Suzuki-Heineman
RHP/slafkovsky-Dach-Roy
Slafkovsky/RHP-Dvorak-Anderson
Hoffman-Tierney-Gallagher

Evans, Armia, Ylonen, Pezzetta

1. Sure I did. Not gonna make a lineup with non available players!?

2. Your lineup is just as much of an eyesore... And you go on and in about not expecting kids to produce or impress and don't expect Farrell to make the team but suddenly Roy makes the top6.... Ok

 

[beowulf]

Have not had a chance to see him play but I have been reading good things about his time in Laval to end the season and I guess 6 goals and 7 points in 6 games is a nice way to start a pro career.

 

[admiralcadillac]

Top scorer on Heineman’s team had 32 points in 52 games

 

[Wats]

Let him cook.

 

[Rapala]

Please don't trade me. What did I do to get traded?

Sure we'll keep you and we can go ahead and trade one or both of those other two guys if it gets us a better piece to put on the board.

 

[KevSkillz4]

I would certainly try a Heineman - Suzuki - Caufield line.

Since last year camp, I believe on him to become a top 6 player at NHL level. I see him to be a 30-30 type of player. Pacioretty vibes to me. Impressive start in AHL.

 

[Whitesnake]

Kid that will be REALLY interesting to follow at the preseason.

 

[Eye of Ra]

Have not had a chance to see him play but I have been reading good things about his time in Laval to end the season and I guess 6 goals and 7 points in 6 games is a nice way to start a pro career.

SHL is a pro league

 

[MasterD]

I would certainly try a Heineman - Suzuki - Caufield line.

Since last year camp, I believe on him to become a top 6 player at NHL level. I see him to be a 30-30 type of player. Pacioretty vibes to me. Impressive start in AHL.

Yes. He plays a pretty heavy, physical game. Very good shot. Not much of a puck carrier, that's Suzuki's job. I think it could work.

I'd at least try it on the power play, to begin with.

 

[Gravity]

If he's doing well in the A and had a good showing at training camp last year, can someone explain why his stats in the SHL were so underwhelming?

 

[TomKosto]

If he's doing well in the A and had a good showing at training camp last year, can someone explain why his stats in the SHL were so underwhelming?

His playing style screams NA hockey.

 

[MasterD]

If he's doing well in the A and had a good showing at training camp last year, can someone explain why his stats in the SHL were so underwhelming?

His playing style screams NA hockey.

Exactly. He's a guy who can shoot from tight spaces, quickly. Not a puck carrier, not a dangler, not a great skater (though fine enough).

 

[montreal]

If he's doing well in the A and had a good showing at training camp last year, can someone explain why his stats in the SHL were so underwhelming?

1. he missed a big chunk of the season due to the rule that he either would make the Habs or be sent back. Personally I'm not a fan of bringing over Euro players unless you can send them down, if not just leave them for the next year imo.

2. Sweden is low scoring, only 2 players in the league got over 46 pts. Among U-22 players Heineman was right there with the top ppg's in the league.

3. His ave TOI is 15 mins, he played 35 games so his ppg if he played in every game and produced at that rate would be 22.36 points, if he had 26 points he would be top 50ish in the league in points.

 

[Gravity]

1. he missed a big chunk of the season due to the rule that he either would make the Habs or be sent back. Personally I'm not a fan of bringing over Euro players unless you can send them down, if not just leave them for the next year imo.

2. Sweden is low scoring, only 2 players in the league got over 46 pts. Among U-22 players Heineman was right there with the top ppg's in the league.

3. His ave TOI is 15 mins, he played 35 games so his ppg if he played in every game and produced at that rate would be 22.36 points, if he had 26 points he would be top 50ish in the league in points.

Thanks. How would you compare him to Lekhonen?

 

[beowulf]

SHL is a pro league

yes yes North American pro career.

 

[CheldishGamibno]

Thanks. How would you compare him to Lekhonen?

If I may, they're not really comparable IMO. Lehkonen couldn't score on a soccer net sometimes. Heineman is a pure sniper. Great wrister and not affraid of grinding

 

[Gravity]

If I may, they're not really comparable IMO. Lehkonen couldn't score on a soccer net sometimes. Heineman is a pure sniper. Great wrister and not affraid of grinding

Lekhonen was a sniper with an awesome wrister out of the SHL as well.

 

[RationalExpectations]

If he's doing well in the A and had a good showing at training camp last year, can someone explain why his stats in the SHL were so underwhelming?

Because he is a complementary player and was on a bad team. The SHL game is also different because ice is bigger. Also teams don t tank because they can end up being relegated to the Allensvenskan so bad teams play a tight defensive system rather than go crazy offense.
Then purely regarding Heineman, he has had consistency issues. It is nice that he is scoring a goal per game but I want to see what he can do over a whole season. Sometimes, even during the same game, he is very good during one period and invisible offesnively during two others.

 

[RationalExpectations]

If I may, they're not really comparable IMO. Lehkonen couldn't score on a soccer net sometimes. Heineman is a pure sniper. Great wrister and not affraid of grinding

Lehkonen was scoring at a higher pace than Heineman in Liiga and SHL. He is also scoring 20+ goals right now… Is it possible that the Habs management mismanaged him ?
Lehkonen is a good comparable in my opinion. He has a good shot, good hockey IQ, good defensive effort but is inconsistent, just like Heineman

 

[Wats]

If I may, they're not really comparable IMO. Lehkonen couldn't score on a soccer net sometimes. Heineman is a pure sniper. Great wrister and not affraid of grinding

Other than size and maybe skating, Lehkonen was better at everything else IMO.

 

[Estimated_Prophet]

Exactly. He's a guy who can shoot from tight spaces, quickly. Not a puck carrier, not a dangler, not a great skater (though fine enough).

He is a fast skater

 

[Intangir]

Other than size and maybe skating, Lehkonen was better at everything else IMO.

It is a lot more complex than that in my opinion.

Size, strength, physicality, puck protection, slap shot, shot power, shooting range and release, all of those elements favour Heineman as a prospect vs. Lehkonen from before the 2016-2017 NHL season.

Skating I would put as fairly equal overall, as I think Lehkonen had better edges and agility though lesser top speed and weaker balance in comparison to Heineman.

Defensive play I'd rate as roughly even too between the two. Lehkonen was maybe a bit more polished at the same age defensively but Heineman has an easier time displacing the puck when battling opposing forwards/d-men on the boards, or clearing it when pressured because of his strength advantage so that levels things a lot.

Hockey IQ I would give to Lehkonen slightly, but Heineman is no slouch there either.

Puck-handling and passing I would definitely give to Lehkonen, and that explains a good part of why he had more success in the SHL than Heineman before going to the NHL.

Then we start noting their styles of play, and comparisons become a lot more sketchier between the two, as their playstyles are actually quite different.

Lehkonen as a prospect was a good two-way high-energy puck-hound with speed, smarts, an overall good shot and skills to flash at times. He'd do the majority of his work as a (very) positive puck-possession player, relentlessly put pressure on the puck carrier, force turnovers and then use his skill/speed/smarts to try and create something in the bigger ice surface of the SHL, be it a shooting or passing opportunity.

At the NHL level Lehkonen did much of the same thing, but had to of course adapt some of his game to fit the smaller ice, learn to take quicker decisions and simplify his game.

Heineman is also a good two-way player with high-energy, speed and smarts, although less skilled than Lehkonen, and that's where the comparisons come from I guess? But he is much less of a puck carrier than Lehkonen, preferring to defer to his teammates when it comes to carrying the puck/making plays, and working more as a "facilitator" on his line (as opposed to Lehkonen's buzzsaw/puckhound style) creating space with physical play and then waiting to get fed pucks to snipe or screening the goalie.

Coming over from the SHL to the AHL, Heineman also has had to adapt. But the details to his game, how he prefers give-and-go, quick touches on the puck as he looks for good shooting positions while also supporting his teammates in any way he can (cycle, boardplay), fit the NA ice and schemes like a glove.

So yeah, we have two very different players here, with playing style differences galore and some amount of similarities too, all of which make comparisons fairly moot.

Just putting it out there, I think that with some positive development in the next couple of years Heineman could thrive in the NHL as a middle-6 two-way forward with speed, physicality and good overall sniping abilities.