The Next Canadiens’ Development Success

The Montreal Canadiens isn’t just developing prospects and rookies who made appearances on the NHL roster, they still have an American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Laval Rocket, to provide ice time to their younger players. More importantly, Laval is in a playoff race to end the regular season. This perhaps holds as much, if not more, importance for player development as it provides game situations in meaningful games. 

One of these young players, Emil Heineman, is one of the better stories in recent weeks. From his return to North America to the impact he is making at the AHL level to what he can potentially become for the Canadiens.  

Canadiens Prospect Heineman 

Heineman, who originally joined the Canadiens organization in a trade with the Calgary Flames involving Tyler Toffoli, provides the club with many intriguing qualities. He is a player that is unafraid of the physicality of the game, adept at using his speed on the forecheck and enjoys winning puck battles in the corners and playing at the front of the net. The highly competitive 6-foot-2, 194-pound forward already has NHL size and an NHL shot. His strength is his offensive game. 

He did have a late start to his season due to injury. He arrived at the Canadiens’ main training camp and performed very well. He did seem ready to take the next step in his career and remain in North America, however, contractually, he had to be returned on loan to Leksands IF of the Swedish Hockey League (SHL). During his time there he scored eight goals and 15 points in 35 games played. 

Heineman Has Arrived in Laval

After his SHL club lost their play-in series and were eliminated from the playoffs, Heineman was able to join the Rocket, giving them a much-needed boost of size and speed for their playoff push. The 21-year-old Swedish forward has been the most consistently impactful performer since his arrival, scoring five goals in his five games played with Laval.