Ville Heinola

Ville Heinola converted on a one-timer for his first NHL goal in the Winnipeg Jets 4-1 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday night. Heinola finished the game with 1 goal, a +3 rating, 2 PIMS and 1 SOG in 17:23 of ice time.

Fantasy Impact

Ville Heinola has certainly been a pleasant surprise to open the Winnnipeg Jets 2019-20 season. The eighteen-year old is making the most of his opportunities thus far. He has 3 points in 4 games played. It's a little early to buy into the Heinola hype for fantasy purposes in re-draft leagues as we are not even sure if he will stay with the Jets for the whole season, however if you play in a dynasty or keeper league now would be a good time to grab him and stash him on your bench. If he stays up with the Jets past the 9 game mark of the season and continues to impress, his role will continue to grow as will his production. The Jets are incredibly thin on their blueline, so the path for Heinola to be fantasy relevant is certainly there.

Ville Heinola picked up a helper on Blake Wheelers first goal of the season on Thursday night. Heinola was solid in his NHL debut, playing on the Jets second pair with Neal Pionk. In addition to his assist Heinola added 1 SOG and 1 Hit in 18:24 of ice time.

Fantasy Impact

Despite being just 18 years of age, Heinola has yet to look out of place through the pre-season and now through game one of the regular season. As of right now he is slotted on the Jets second pair, and is getting time on the second powerplay unit. That may change when Sami Niku is able to return to the Jets, but for now Heinola is a player to keep an eye on for fantasy players in keeper leagues. If he ends up staying with the Jets for the full season, the opportunity is certainly there for him to be fantasy relevant on a very thin blueline for the Winnipeg Jets.