PHILADELPHIA — The Islanders had just brief glimpses of Emil Heineman last season when he was with the Canadiens. Captain Anders Lee noted he was a hard worker who could skate. Coach Patrick Roy admitted he didn’t know much about the Swede even as general manager/Mathieu Darche pushed hard for him to be included in the offseason trade for Noah Dobson.
Now, every Islander knows about Heineman’s shot. And the potential for him to be more than a bottom-six forward, his role with the Canadiens as a rookie.
Heineman skated on rookie Calum Ritchie’s right wing along with Anthony Duclair in the Islanders’ preseason finale on Thursday night at Xfinity Mobile Arena. He also saw time on the first power-play unit, though his bobbling of the puck at the Flyers’ blue line led to their shorthanded goal early in the first period.
He was on top-line center Bo Horvat’s right wing in the previous match, a 3-2 overtime loss to the Rangers on Monday at UBS Arena
“That’s the first thing I noticed when he came into our practices,” Roy said. “I was like, ‘Oh, wow. Mathieu was talking a lot about his shot when we were talking about trading with Montreal.”
“It was like, ‘Wow, that’s there,” said Lee, also praising Heineman’s accuracy. “He can really rip the puck. He’s one of those guys that can play up and down the lineup.”
Heineman had 10 goals and eight assists in 62 games for the Canadiens. Both the Islanders and Heineman expect more productivity this season.
After all, Heineman has always enjoyed shooting the puck.
“Pretty young,” Heineman said when asked when he realized he had a good shot. “I felt like when I started to go up and flex [a measurement of the stick’s flexibility] I started to get the hang of getting the puck in the air. After that, I just always loved to shoot.
“I’m just trying to have a complete game, trying to be useful all over the ice. And when the time comes, I would like to be able to put the puck in the net.”
Heineman said he increased the flex on his stick from 80 to 85 last season, giving him more power and control.
Notes & quotes: Lee returned to the lineup for the first time since the preseason opener after missing time with an upper-body injury. “I feel good, working through it,” Lee said. “It’s an opportunity to just get the timing down and get into some battles.” . . . Forward Jonathan Druoin, who missed two days of practice because of illness, skated in the morning but did not play . . . Goalie Ilya Sorokin played his second game of the preseason . . . Ritchie played in his fourth preseason game as he continues to push for a roster spot. “There’s going to be important decisions for us to make but I’m very happy with him,” Roy said. . . . No. 1 overall pick Matthew Schaefer also played in his fourth preseason game and his first on the road. He’s virtually a lock to be on the opening-night roster next Thursday in Pittsburgh. “I’m just dialed in,” Schaefer said. “After today’s game, I’ll worry about what’s next.”
Andrew Gross joined Newsday in 2018 to cover the Islanders. He began reporting on the NHL in 2003 and has previously covered the Rangers and Devils. Other assignments have included the Jets, St. John’s and MLB.