Miro Heiskanen feels like he’s “100 percent back to normal” after working through a knee injury for much of the 2024-25 season.
The Dallas Stars defenseman was at Finland’s orientation camp Monday as the country’s national team prepares for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milano-Cortina. Heiskanen told NHL.com’s Varpu Sihvonen that he has returned to a normal practice routine throughout the summer.
Heiskanen notably underwent knee surgery in February and didn’t return to the Stars’ lineup until the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
“The knee got some rest after last season, and now I can do everything 100 percent,” Heiskanen told Sihvonen. “My confidence is back where it used to be now that my knee can take all the practice and feels fine.”
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Heiskanen also gave some insight into Finland’s goals for the upcoming Winter Olympics. Back in June, Heiskanen was revealed as one of the six players on Finland’s preliminary Olympic roster. Stars teammates Esa Lindell and Mikko Rantanen also made the list.
Heiskanen’s national team experience includes playing five games in the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang. He also represented Finland in the 2018 and 2022 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championships.
Finland won the gold medal at the 2022 in Beijing. According to Heiskanen, the national team feels “no pressure” as it looks to retain its Olympic title.
“Of course we want to win again, but we don’t think about it too much,” Heiskanen said. “We take [it] one game at a time.”
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