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'It's like floating:' How Miro Heiskanen has made his rookie mark
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- 'It's like floating:' How Miro Heiskanen has made his rookie mark
TORONTO — For his straight-line speed, Kasperi Kapanen earned the distinction as the "fastest person alive" from long-time teammate and backup netminder Garret Sparks in the excitable aftermath of a win for the Toronto Maple Leafs earlier this season.
While that may or may not be so in the NHL while travelling on a single plain, the Dallas Stars , if probed, would argue that the player in Thursday's matchup at Scotiabank Arena that best canvasses the ice is the young Finn that wears their colours.
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Miro Heiskanen is best known as the player Jim Nill labelled untouchable in trade discussions involving the Stars and former Ottawa Senators captain Erik Karlsson .
One shift into his career and the hockey world let out a big 'ol "oh wow, okay" and then collectively all thought better about Dallas's stance on the matter.
There's a mesmerizing quality to Heiskanen's first shift on NHL ice. (I mean, the tweet doesn't have over 237,000 views for nothing).
First he's, uh, 19.
Second, look at everything accomplished on the shift.
The kid wheels out of his own zone untouched to immediately generate a scoring chance in the attacking end, exploits an opening to take one of his own, then floats back to his zone to sharply thwart an attack from the opposition and wraps things up by calmly organizing a second zone exit for the shift before dancing around one forechecker, carrying past the red line and heading off for a change.
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It took all of 40 seconds.
Dallas Stars rookie defenceman Miro Heiskanen is already one of the best skaters in the NHL. (Photo by Glenn James/NHLI via Getty Images)
But what's most impressive about the way Heiskanen covers distance and manipulates space with this spectacular skating display is the effortlessness to which he does it.
Stars players have seen a lot of it, and they can't help but marvel.
"I think Miro is just so efficient," said Marc Methot , explaining that defencemen aren't supposed to skate like "roadrunner".
"His speed is just as great as anyone else's, he can get himself out of trouble all the time. It may not look like he's flying, but he is. It's a huge attribute to his game."
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John Klingberg agrees:
"When Miro gets to full speed, he's flying. It's like floating; he's got a good stride, great skating technique."
With a quick first step and long, powerful strides and the ability to accelerate without even picking up his skates, Heiskanen has the necessary foundation in place to develop into a dominant puck-moving defender and a force in the NHL.
It's one aspect beyond his physical tools, however, and on display at the jump on his career as well, which points to him achieving such status sooner than later.
While most rookies look to shed the jitters, and if not avoid falling flat on their face at least appear invisible with their first few steps on NHL ice, Heiskanen has displayed the confidence to stand out right away.
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"His poise, his demeanour off the ice, the way he carries himself at his age is pretty impressive. He's just so composed. Always calm and cool. A guy like that, you just know he has a really bright future in this league," said Methot.
"The way he reads the game, his gaps, he's a really mature player for being just 19 years old," said Klingberg.
"I say it all the time, he's going to be a fantastic player," Methot added.
For all that he's shown, Heiskanen's abilities haven't translated to a rush of points just yet.
Two goals and four points in 12 games to start a career is nothing to sneeze at, of course, especially for a defenceman learning on the fly.
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But the expectation is that Heiskanen will soon boast the sort of numbers that elicit a response similar to the video above.
"He's going to hide in Dallas for a few years and nobody is going to know what he's up to. Then his numbers are going to speak for themselves," Jason Spezza said.
"He's going to blow people away with how good he's going to be."
Spezza, you remember, was around to see the same thing happen in Ottawa with the player Nill wouldn't give Heiskanen up for in order to acquire.
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