Heed posted 14 goals, 42 assists and a plus-14 rating in 55 games in his first season with the Barracuda of the American Hockey League (AHL). He finished the regular season ranked 1st amongst AHL defensemen in points per game (1.02, min. 25 GP), 4th in points (56), 3rd in assists, and T-7th in goals. His eight power-play goals ranked T-6th, while his four game-winning goals ranked T-5th, en route to being selected to the 2016-17 AHL Second All-Star Team. In 15 Calder Cup Playoffs games, Heed recorded three goals and seven assists, ranking 2nd on the Barracuda in defensemen scoring and T-3rd on the team overall in points. He made his NHL debut on Jan. 11 at Calgary.
The defenseman played in 191 career games with Skelleftea and Vaxjo of the Swedish Hockey League (SHL). He registered 21 goals, 55 assists and a plus-13 rating during the regular season, while contributing five goals and 23 assists in 53 postseason games in Sweden's top men's league. While with Skelleftea, Heed won the SHL title during the 2013-14. During the 2014-15 season, he won the Salming Trophy, the SHL's Defenseman of the Year award, after scoring the most goals of any defenseman.
The 26-year-old has represented his native country of Sweden in the Euro Hockey Tour on two separate occasions (2014 & 2015), recording a goal and plus-three rating in three games. Heed also represented his country at the junior level, tallying four goals and seven assists in 12 games for Sweden.
The six-foot, 185-pound native of Goteborg, Sweden, was originally drafted in the fifth round (132nd overall) of the 2010 NHL Entry Draft by the Anaheim Ducks. He was signed as a free agent by San Jose on May 24, 2016.
