I have seen and read a lot on Heineman in the last couple of hours. Seems like a really good prospect actually. My best comparison is like a Frolik but with what looks like a better shot. If that doesn't make you excited, well, think about it this way.
I thought Frolik on the Flames was a very important piece even though he didn't really generate much offensively. I don't know how he always managed to get his goals (and I do remember some ugly goals he scored), but when he was on the ice it really seemed to disrupt the other team quite a bit - both with his fore-checking and his back-checking.
Heineman really looks like a Frolik out there with his non-stop motor in every video I was looking at. Really doesn't stop skating. Seems to be extremely aggressive on the fore-check and is a total puck hound on the backcheck. Some of the videos posted are definitely worth the time in looking.
Know who is going to absolutely love this kid? Darryl Sutter.
He seems to be ok offensively. I mean, I loved Frolik for the majority of his time here - first few seasons anyway - but he always had this absolute muffin of a shot that he often didn't even get on net. Really, I have no idea how Frolik accumulated those goals. Heineman seems to have a way better shot, and he seems to have a lot more puck skills - making and receiving passes for instance.
Plays in a men's league, and it was a treat to watch this kid just get on the back-check and not give up. Highlights are highlights of course, but he is playing in a men's league and seems to be doing well. I can see him in the NHL next year, actually. His non-stop motor and 2-way play will make him a Sutter favourite.
He also seems willing to engage physically. I didn't see many open ice hits - but he does knock guys down along the boards and doesn't shy away from any area, and uses his body well. Doesn't look like he is going to be a big hitter like Bennett is, but definitely a guy that is more than willing to engage. Really tenacious.
I like this crop of players coming up - Pelletier, Zary, Phillips and now Heineman - these are all really tenacious players with non-stop motors that are willing to engage and with high levels of compete. I liked that about Bennett, and I will miss him, but at least he was replaced with someone who can fill some of what he was providing the Flames with.
One thing that I do worry about, however, is that this team just gets soft. Sure, physical players are cheap and you can find them ever off-season like Ritchie and Ronaldo, but guys who can play and contribute in elevated roles sure seem very hard to find. Flames had a bit of a gem with Ferland and traded him away (though, especially with hindsight, it wasn't a poor move). Now Bennett. Hockey is still very much a physical sport, and tough, physical players with some ability are not so easy to get. Carolina paid heavily for Ferland, Canucks signed him to a hefty deal as well, and Florida paid handsomely for Bennett as well. Hope this organization can find some players with some toughness - toughness in the top 6 can make an impact, but only if they are legitimate top 6 players.
Next best thing to toughness, in my opinion, is tenacity and a high compete level. Mangiapane has that. Giordano (him taking a step down is irrelevant - that guy competes hard every night). Backlund most nights (most off nights for him in many seasons, but he is usually very tenacious).
If Dube can pick up some of Mangiapane's tenacity, I think he would be light's out. I don't like Ruzicka much as a prospect because of his lack of tenacity, but he does have a tonne of skill. However, Colborne and Jankowski both had a tonne of skill, but lacked tenacity. Hopefully he develops it - that's what will hold him back, as I do think he has all the tools to be an effective top 9 or even top 6 NHL player.
I like tenacity seemingly being a characteristic that this team is trying to draft. IMO, that 2015 'lucky season' wasn't as lucky as people thought. That was a poor team that was out-skilled, but they had tenacity. Gaudreau, Monahan, Brodie, Giordano, Bennett, Backlund - they all rose to the occasion and attacked and attacked. That's why they had those 3rd period comebacks - they were just a tenacious never-say-die bunch. They were just outclassed, but rarely out-worked.
I think this team - this EXACT SAME TEAM - has more than enough talent to be successful, but they have to start being tenacious again. However, changes are going to be made, and there seems like a nice handful of very tenacious prospects licking their chops.
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