Miro Heiskanen is a special hockey player — practically every Dallas Stars fan knows that by now. Just two years into his career, the Finnish defenseman already looks like a future Norris Trophy winner one day.
But just how high is his ceiling? In his recent comparison piece, Dom Luszczyszyn sees Heiskanen following a similar career trajectory as another former Top 3 draft pick: Los Angeles Kings defenseman Drew Doughty.
Both defensemen… play 24 minutes per night, face very tough usage, are good for roughly 10 goals and 40 points and are very strong in their own end with exceptional expected and actual goals against rates. Their expected goals percentage was nearly identical in their respective seasons with both being on for 2.45 per 60 while allowing around 2.05… That’s extremely strong for a young defenseman playing tough minutes, especially considering most of that is on the defensive side.
Perhaps the most intriguing part of this comparison is the difference in experience. The numbers Luszczyszyn uses for Doughty are from his fourth season, when he was 21 years old. Heiskanen, meanwhile, is still only 20 (for three more days) and is only in his second season. That means the sky is the limit for the young star:
He has the tools to not only be on Doughty’s level but maybe even surpass it if his offensive game gets an opportunity to grow without sacrificing his pristine defensive game. It’s time to start paying more attention to him now.
You can read more about how these two defensemen match up from Luszczyszyn behind the paywall: [The Athletic]
Stars Stories
It’s popular belief that anyone who makes the playoffs can win the Stanley Cup. So why not the Stars?
𝙒𝙝𝙮 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙪𝙨?#GoStars https://t.co/ptKpKfGJpX
— x-Dallas Stars (@DallasStars) July 15, 2020
Sean Shapiro talks goalies in his latest training camp digest:
We know Ben Bishop and Anton Khudobin are No. 1 and 2, but how should they be handled in this restart? What about Landon Bow and Jake Oettinger as they jockey for No. 3? Let’s discuss https://t.co/7ZLY3qNhdc
— Sean Shapiro (@seanshapiro) July 15, 2020
Meanwhile Matthew DeFranks tackles the power play:
Stars notebook: Power-play units take on more shape; Tyler Seguin makes himself at home in Dallas@MDeFranks | #GoStars https://t.co/tHaqIvFEKB
— SportsDay Stars (@dmn_stars) July 15, 2020
Around the League
The Stars might not face the Nashville Predators this postseason, but they might get an exhibition game:
The NHL has released its schedule for exhibition games and the qualification round. Times are EST and local time. pic.twitter.com/lSzKciPX4Y
— Greg Wyshynski (@wyshynski) July 14, 2020
Ilya Sorokin is finally coming to the NHL. Here’s a breakdown on the highly touted goaltender prospect:
What to expect from Islanders mega-prospect goalie Ilya Sorokin: @THNMattLarkin breaks it down.https://t.co/n21pVxQkwB pic.twitter.com/Og96SxxLpB
— The Hockey News (@TheHockeyNews) July 14, 2020
If you’re ever feeling down about the Stars, just remember things could be worse. Then again, they could also be better…
New: Being a fan means living through the ups and down. But which NHL fan base has had the highest highs *and* the lowest lows? A ranking of all 31 teams. https://t.co/lQliW1IRQc pic.twitter.com/pGXNdas2Nj
— Down Goes Brown (@DownGoesBrown) July 15, 2020
Finally, Greg Wyshynski talks to NHPLA head Donald Fehr about… well, just about everything:
NHLPA chief Donald Fehr’s message to big-ticket NHL free agents like Taylor Hall, Torey Krug, Alex Pietrangelo and Braden Holtby?
“That it’s going to be tough, but if the cap had crashed to the mid-60s, it would have been a lot worse.”
Much more here: https://t.co/8csyYGfwzu
— Greg Wyshynski (@wyshynski) July 14, 2020