Miro Heiskanen has long been one of the most underrated players in hockey, partly because he doesn’t play for a major hockey market.
The star defenseman flew under the radar for the first half of his career, but as the Dallas Stars made consecutive appearances in the Western Conference Finals, more and more people began to realize what a special defenseman Heiskanen is.
Heiskanen finished fifth on the NHL Network’s list of the league’s top 20 defensemen.
His offensive output was a bit down from the 2022-23 season last season, as he scored 54 points in 71 games compared to 73 points in 79 games the year before. But his 54 points still ranked 15th among defensemen and his defense remained top-notch. In this amazing 2022-23 season, the Finnish defenseman set a franchise record for most points by a defenseman.
“Just a guy that gets rewarded for all the great nights he’s had,” Stars forward Tyler Seguin said after Heiskanen’s two-point performance in Game 2 against the Avalanche in this year’s playoffs. “He does so many things that you don’t get respect for on the scoresheet. He’s the No. 1 guy you hate to play against in practice in 2-on-1 or 1-on-1. He’s been joked about here for years and all the elements he brings to his game and our team.”
“He has this calm demeanor about him,” Seguin said after Thursday’s game on TNT. “He’s just so talented.”
Heiskanen’s coach agreed with Seguin.
“I think he goes out there every night and impacts our game,” Stars coach Pete DeBoer said that night. “It might not be points and goals, but he has that impact on our game every night. … Of course, some nights everything comes together, like last night, but even on the nights he doesn’t score, he’s still a difference maker for us.”
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