Ville Heinola

June 2025 – The Winnipeg Jets’ 2019 first-round pick (20th overall), Heinola, needs a change of scenery. With Josh Morrissey (three years remaining on his current contract) and Neal Pionk (re-signed for six years, $42 million starting in 2025-26) ahead of him on the depth chart and signed long-term combined with Elias Salomonsson and Alfons Freij in the system, it is hard to envision where Heinola fits in the long-term plans of the Jets, if at all. The offense-minded defenseman has the potential to contribute offensively and make an impact on the power play. Still, playing 20 games in the NHL/AHL in 2024-25 is not helping his development. Now fully healthy, Heinola needs an opportunity to prove himself, or he will quickly become an afterthought if he hasn’t already in even the deepest of dynasty leagues. Mark Henry

November 2024 – Heinola made his 2024-25 season debut versus the Minnesota Wild on November 25, 2024. This was his first NHL action in 23 months; he had 12:14 TOI with two SOGs and one hit. Mark Henry

November 2024 – On November 18, Heinola was loaned to the AHL’s Manitoba Moose for conditioning purposes. Winnipeg Jets head coach Scott Arniel said Heinola would play two games with the Moose before re-joining the Jets in Minnesota on Sunday, November 24. Mark Henry

November 2024 – On November 12, Heinola shed his non-contact jersey and practiced fully for the first time since training camp; with Winnipeg Jets defenseman Logan Stanley going on the IR with a mid-body injury, Heinola could get a chance to enter the Jets lineup once cleared to play. Mark Henry

September 2024 – Heinola will be out for at least four weeks after ankle surgery; he has been battling an ankle infection. Winnipeg Jets head coach Scott Arniel revealed on September 19th that Heinola had a pin removed from his ankle, which was surgically repaired last season. Mark Henry

July 2024 – The Winnipeg Jets agreed to terms with defenseman Ville Heinola on a two-year, $1.6 million contract extension with an average annual value in the NHL of $800,000. Heinola loses his waiver exemption and will need to clear the waivers if Winnipeg wants to send him to the AHL. He will become arbitration-eligible at the end of the 2025-26 season. Mark Henry

June 2024 – The Winnipeg Jets extended Heinola a qualifying offer on June 30 to retain the negotiating rights to their 2019 first-round pick. He failed to see any game action in the NHL during the 2023-24 season. Heinola played 41 games with the Manitoba Moose in the American Hockey League; he scored ten goals and added 17 assists for 27 points with the Moose. Mark Henry 

January 2024 – On January 11, the Winnipeg Jets announced they loaned Heinola to the AHL’s Manitoba Moose, where he can get some game action before he becomes a consideration for an NHL call-up. The 22-year-old defenceman hasn’t played a game yet during the 2023-24 regular season due to an ankle injury in pre-season action. Heinola also has 11 points (one goal and ten assists) in 35 games over four seasons with the Winnipeg Jets. Mark Henry

October 2023 – Heinola underwent surgery on his fractured left ankle sustained on Thursday, October 5, 2023, against the Ottawa Senators and will miss at least eight weeks. Heinola looked ready to make the Winnipeg Jets’ 2023-24 opening night roster after putting together the best NHL training camp of his career; he will open the season on the injured reserve. Mark Henry

August 2023 – Heinola enters the 2023-24 season (the final year of his three-year entry-level contract) as his make-or-break year for taking the next step with the Jets organization. Since being selected in the first round (20th overall) in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft, he has played in the AHL and NHL for four straight seasons without earning regular playing time with the Jets. Heinola will become a restricted free agent (RFA) after the 2023-24 campaign. Mark Henry

April 2022 – Heinola has spent this season jumping between the Jets and the AHL affiliate Manitoba Moose, amassing a combined 54 total games in the 2021-22 campaign. The young blueliner has struggled to find consistent minutes for the Jets, often scratched due to their defensive depth. In his 12 active games, Heinola has five assists, averaging about 15 minutes per night, with minimal power-play opportunities. At 21, Heinola brings a wealth of experience, having competed in Liiga, AHL, NHL, and his second World Junior Championship last year alone.  He has excelled at essentially every level except the NHL, so far. Jets fans have gotten a taste of his well-rounded skill set, gathering five assists in his last six appearances.  Look for Heinola to gain more experience down the final stretch as the Jets are out of the playoff race. Heinola may be hard pressed to find meaningful minutes with five serviceable defenseman under contract until the end of the 2023-24 season. Still, consistent playing time will showcase his smarts, puck-moving abilities, and smooth skating. While he looks at home with seasoned NHLers, patience will be key for him to work on his shot and tighten up his defensive positioning before taking that next step. Justin Kaye

April 2020 – Heinola had a solid outing at the U20 World Juniors, posting five points in seven games as Finland was unable to retain gold and fell to Sweden in the bronze medal game. The young defenseman continues his development in Liiga and will be at Jets training camp in September. Jamie Zadow

December 2019 – Heinola had a cup of coffee with the Jets to start the season, appearing in eight NHL games before finding himself back in Finland’s Liiga. The 18-year-old will join his fellow countrymen again at this year’s World Junior Championships as they chase down gold for the second year in a row. Jamie Zadow

June 2019 – Heinola has been drafted 20th overall by the Jets.  Jokke Nevalainen

June 2019 – Heinola was officially measured at 5-foot-11.75 and 178 pounds at the NHL Draft Combine.  Jokke Nevalainen

December 2018 – Heinola started this season in Jr. A SM-liiga, but after putting up nine points in nine games, he was called up to the Liiga squad. Heinola’s performance in the Liiga has been so impressive that he’s stayed up ever since, and it’s looking very unlikely he would be sent back to junior ever again. Because of his strong performance in the Liiga, Heinola is expected to play a major role for Team Finland at the upcoming World Juniors.

Heinola’s counting stats in the Liiga may not look overly impressive – six points in 23 games – but he’s a 17-year-old defenseman playing pro hockey in one of the best leagues in the world, so his stats don’t tell the whole truth. He’s averaging about 18 minutes per gam,e but over the past two months, his average ice time has been closer to 20 minutes. He’s been a regular on Lukko’s top power play, and he’s been used on the penalty kill as well.

Heinola is a talented offensive defenseman. Although not possessing blazing top speed, Heinola is a skilled skater. His edge work is amazing. He’s a very smart player with good vision and passing skills. He also has pretty impressive one-on-one skills. Because of these talents, he can move the puck and also skate it up the ice himself. His shot isn’t the most powerful you’ll see out there, but it’s good, and he’s very good at finding open lanes to get pucks to the net.

His defensive game is pretty good, but there’s still room for improvement. He needs to add more muscle to win more puck battles, and he needs to improve his defensive zone coverage. He’s good at defending against rush attacks already, and his high hockey sense allows him to become a good two-way player. Heinola is a potential first-round selection for the 2019 NHL Draft.  Jokke Nevalainen