Ville Heinola is a mainstay on the 2019 U18 Finnish team's defence after winning gold with the U20 team in Vancouver in January.
photo: Chris Tanouye / HHOF-IIHF Images
At the 2019 World Juniors in Canada, Ville Heinola was sidelined at the end, but still won gold. Yet to win the 2019 U18 in Sweden, this Finnish defenceman will almost certainly need to shine on the ice all the way through the final.
Back in January, Heinola, an 18-year-old who plays for Lukko Rauma, was injured on a hit by Canadian captain Maxime Comtois during Finland’s dramatic 2-1 quarter-final overtime win at Vancouver’s Rogers Arena.
Heinola was thus unable to participate in the 6-1 semi-final victory over the Swiss and the 3-2 gold medal win over the Americans. However, he did step up earlier with a goal and an assist when Finland beat Slovakia 5-1 in group play.
It’s not every kid who debuts at the U20 level before playing U18. Now Heinola aims to use that momentum as a top-pairing blueliner alongside Mikko Kokkonen under head coach Mika Marttila.
“For sure, it’s a help,” Heinola said. “You get experience from the World Juniors that can help you when you come to the U18. Maybe you are more ready to play these games.”
The entire Finnish squad looked ready to play in their Umea opener when they jumped out to a 3-0 lead against Canada on Thursday. However, that proved to be a mirage, as the ever-dangerous Canadians rebounded for a 5-3 victory over the defending champions. It could be a valuable learning experience.
Heinola said the 3-1 shorthanded goal by Jamieson Rees reversed Finland’s fortunes: “We had a power play and they ended up scoring. They played a good penalty-killing game. After that, something went wrong and our game fell down.”
What about his personal performance on Day One? The 181-cm, 82-kg rearguard finished with an even plus-minus, although he was on the ice for both Canadian power play goals, the 3-3 equalizer by Brayden Tracey and the 5-3 empty-netter by captain Peyton Krebs.
“It was OK, but I have to play much better in the next games,” Heinola said.
A likely first-round NHL draft pick in June, he raised his profile this season by recording 14 points in 34 Liiga games for Rauma. And Heinola is a multi-talented fellow. In 2016, he won a Finnish junior championship in pesapallo – a Finnish variation on baseball.
There are plenty of sources of inspiration for Finland’s Generation Z players, who exude confidence without spilling over into cockiness. Heinola has had fun this season tracking the progress of defenceman Miro Heiskanen with the Dallas Stars.
Not only did the 19-year-old rookie rack up 33 points in 82 regular season games with Big D, but he also added a goal and an assist when the Stars beat the Nashville Predators 3-2 to open the playoffs on 10 April.
“He’s my favorite player,” Heinola said. “So I like it a lot.”
He was disappointed but phlegmatic about the Finnish Lionesses’ controversial 2-1 shootout loss to the U.S. in the Women’s Worlds gold medal game in Espoo on Sunday: “It was a crazy game. For sure we hoped that we could win the gold medal. But that’s hockey.”
In the spirit of being prepared for anything, Heinola isn’t taking for granted that Finland will bounce back with an easy three points from Belarus on Friday. After all, if the Belarusians could surprise the Czechs on a 47-save performance from goalie Alexei Kolosov, they could potentially damage the Finns too.
“They played very well today,” Heinola said. “It’s going to be a tough game tomorrow. We have to do our best.”
Back in January, Heinola, an 18-year-old who plays for Lukko Rauma, was injured on a hit by Canadian captain Maxime Comtois during Finland’s dramatic 2-1 quarter-final overtime win at Vancouver’s Rogers Arena.
Heinola was thus unable to participate in the 6-1 semi-final victory over the Swiss and the 3-2 gold medal win over the Americans. However, he did step up earlier with a goal and an assist when Finland beat Slovakia 5-1 in group play.
It’s not every kid who debuts at the U20 level before playing U18. Now Heinola aims to use that momentum as a top-pairing blueliner alongside Mikko Kokkonen under head coach Mika Marttila.
“For sure, it’s a help,” Heinola said. “You get experience from the World Juniors that can help you when you come to the U18. Maybe you are more ready to play these games.”
The entire Finnish squad looked ready to play in their Umea opener when they jumped out to a 3-0 lead against Canada on Thursday. However, that proved to be a mirage, as the ever-dangerous Canadians rebounded for a 5-3 victory over the defending champions. It could be a valuable learning experience.
Heinola said the 3-1 shorthanded goal by Jamieson Rees reversed Finland’s fortunes: “We had a power play and they ended up scoring. They played a good penalty-killing game. After that, something went wrong and our game fell down.”
What about his personal performance on Day One? The 181-cm, 82-kg rearguard finished with an even plus-minus, although he was on the ice for both Canadian power play goals, the 3-3 equalizer by Brayden Tracey and the 5-3 empty-netter by captain Peyton Krebs.
“It was OK, but I have to play much better in the next games,” Heinola said.
A likely first-round NHL draft pick in June, he raised his profile this season by recording 14 points in 34 Liiga games for Rauma. And Heinola is a multi-talented fellow. In 2016, he won a Finnish junior championship in pesapallo – a Finnish variation on baseball.
There are plenty of sources of inspiration for Finland’s Generation Z players, who exude confidence without spilling over into cockiness. Heinola has had fun this season tracking the progress of defenceman Miro Heiskanen with the Dallas Stars.
Not only did the 19-year-old rookie rack up 33 points in 82 regular season games with Big D, but he also added a goal and an assist when the Stars beat the Nashville Predators 3-2 to open the playoffs on 10 April.
“He’s my favorite player,” Heinola said. “So I like it a lot.”
He was disappointed but phlegmatic about the Finnish Lionesses’ controversial 2-1 shootout loss to the U.S. in the Women’s Worlds gold medal game in Espoo on Sunday: “It was a crazy game. For sure we hoped that we could win the gold medal. But that’s hockey.”
In the spirit of being prepared for anything, Heinola isn’t taking for granted that Finland will bounce back with an easy three points from Belarus on Friday. After all, if the Belarusians could surprise the Czechs on a 47-save performance from goalie Alexei Kolosov, they could potentially damage the Finns too.
“They played very well today,” Heinola said. “It’s going to be a tough game tomorrow. We have to do our best.”