Jets keep Heinola out of lineup – Winnipeg Free Press

Those looking to reclaim Ville Heinola from the Manitoba Moose will have to wait a little longer.

When asked to give a scouting report on Heinola's performance as the mobile defenseman returns from a broken ankle after 12 American Hockey League games, Winnipeg Jets head coach Rick Bowness made it clear he's not yet up to speed.

“First of all, this child was seriously injured. Is he back in training camp? No, we're not, we're not rushing it either,” Bowness said after Monday's practice. “It wouldn't be fair for the kid to bring him here because we all want to see him.

“When he gets back to skating and how he feels — what we saw in training camp — that's going to be a discussion we'll have at that point. But so far we haven't heard, he's not skating like he did in September.”

Heinola, who had three goals and five points with the Moose, had a strong training camp but suffered an injury in the team's final preseason game. Bowness has since said the 22-year-old Finn will be in the opening night lineup if he doesn't sit out the game.

The 20th overall pick in the 2019 draft is still working to establish himself as a full-time NHL player, and a long-term injury has been the latest hurdle in that process. While Hainola has worked hard to get medical clearance to return to action, his next challenge is trying to make up for lost time.

Being stuck on an NHL schedule between 50 and 60 games is a lot different than the level of competition he faced in early October.

That's part of the reason the Jets are being cautious here because they want to make it a success.

“Once again, this is a young player. This is a big challenge. The games are heating up now,” Bowness said. “You can't give up on a kid at this point in the season (when he's still finding his game). It is unfair to him; it's unfair to the team. So we're going to make sure we revive him – it might happen at some point – but we have to give him more time. It's that simple.”

So it will be Logan Stanley sitting out his third straight game on Wednesday as Brenden Dillon serves the final game of his three-game suspension.

“He did a great job. “One of the hardest things in sports is to sit for long periods of time – one, physically, but two, mentally, staying focused,” Jets quarterback Dylan DeMelo said. “He moved really well. He moved the puck well, he made strong, smart, simple plays and that's what we need from him.”

Gustafson launched

The Jets activated center David Gustafsson from the injured reserve list on Monday and assigned him to the Moose for up to two weeks of conditioning.

Gustafsson, who has two goals and five points in 27 games this season, has been out of the Jets lineup since Dec. 22 with a lower-body injury.

With Rasmus Kupari currently the No. 13 forward, this assignment will allow Gustafsson to be involved in the game action.

The Moose face the Calgary Wranglers in Calgary on Tuesday and six games over the next 14 days, including home games against the Milwaukee Admirals on Saturday and Sunday.

Toninato eliminates vibrations

The Jets also received some good news on the organizational depth front as forward Dominic Toninato cleared waivers and was assigned to the Moose on Monday.

When injured, Toninato did well for the Jets, scoring a goal and five points in 15 games.

The Moose (17-24-1-1) are 5-1-1 in their last seven games after snapping an 11-game losing streak.

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Ken Wiebe
Sports reporter

Growing up in the booming metropolis of Altona, Man., Ken Wiebe grew up wanting to play in the NHL, but after realizing his hands were better at typing than scoring goals, he turned his attention to covering his favorite sport as a writer.

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