Heiskanen grows into defensive leader

Whenever Miro Heiskanen's name comes up in discussions for the Norris Trophy, the same criticism is waged.
Not enough points.
It's a fair argument. Heiskanen has averaged about a half point a game in his NHL career and typically ranks in the lower 20s or upper 30s among NHL defensemen in scoring. The way the award works, that's just not going to cut it.
But if it's points you want from Heiskanen, he's certainly giving them to you this month.

In eight games in March, Heiskanen has 14 points (3 goals, 11 assists). He has obliterated his personal season best in scoring with 56 points in 65 games and currently ranks eighth in the NHL among blueliners. It's impressive.
But has this all been part of an orchestrated plan by the new coaching staff to unlock the skill of the 23-year-old and reap the benefits of a blueline wizard? Not so much, it seems.
"I don't think I have ever talked about points with him," Stars coach Pete DeBoer said. "And if you know Miro, I don't think that's ever on his radar either. I think he just wants to go out and be a difference-maker."
That is part of the mystery of Heiskanen. He typically lands in the Top 10 of any ranking among NHL defensemen, but it's more for his all-around game. Even when he was drafted third overall in 2017, scouts said his defense was ahead of his offense. It's pretty rare for an 18-year-old, but that assessment has played out on the ice, as Heiskanen has proven just as good on the penalty kill as he is on the power play, and just as good at stopping goals as he is at scoring them.
So how has he taken such a big step forward this year? Heiskanen said he really isn't trying to do anything different.
"I just try to play my game," he said. "I just go out there and have fun and play hard and work hard. I just try to skate a lot and play a lot with the puck and help the forwards to play some offense. It's not a big change what I have done, but maybe a little more active."
Heiskanen is averaging 0.86 points per game this year. That's up from 0.51 last season, and 0.49 the year before. A big part of this is the fact he plays more than anyone else on the team and the Stars are scoring a lot more goals this year. Dallas ranked 21st in scoring last season at 2.84 goals per game. They are seventh this season at 3.43. Clearly, that helps Heiskanen, who leads the team in time on ice at 25:30.
It also helps that the coaching staff has moved the left-handed defenseman to his natural side and paired him with right-handed partner Colin Miller. John Klingberg leaving in free agency created an opportunity for Heiskanen. He is now playing 3:08 on the power play this season, up from 2:18 last year. He already has 25 power play points in 65 games after getting 11 in 70 last season.
He is being used differently this season.
But while all of those changes make sense, the impact has been a little slow in coming. Heiskanen had .72 points per game for the first 57 games this year. He was good, really good, just not the fantastic player he has recently become. DeBoer said on Thursday that Heiskanen was the best player on the ice for either team in the 5-2 loss at Vancouver. He looked just as good during the two games in Seattle, where he was a free-wheeling play-maker who joined the rush and facilitated puck movement.
"It's just Miro being Miro," said captain Jamie Benn who was connected to Heiskanen's two assists on Thursday. "He controls the play, he's got the puck on his stick a lot, he makes a lot of plays under pressure. He's our leader back there."
Luke Glendening added, "People talk so much about his defensive acumen, but he makes a ton of plays. It's special to watch."
Heiskanen doesn't analyze his own performance all too much. He really does just "play his game," as he likes to say. Still, there is something there right now. It's not a "swagger," so much as a quiet confidence. He is cautious on the ice, which hasn't changed that much, but he is taking more chances. The talented blueliner is leading a Stars team who is piling up more goals this season.
Dallas has averaged 5.1 goals over the past eight games. That's not sustainable, so Heiskanen's numbers will come back to earth at some point. But what if he pushes up to nearly a point a game? Is that possible?
In the 2020 playoffs in the bubble, Heiskanen led the Stars in scoring with 26 points (6 goal, 20 assists) in 27 games. It seemed like a scoring breakthrough at the time, but it didn't turn out to be. Could this be the moment when he takes a huge step forward? Heiskanen has played 340 regular season games, despite the fact he's just 23. He seems to be the perfect fit on a team who is trending forward offensively.
And that can garner a lot of attention from the outside, especially as we near the playoffs.
"He's a world class player," DeBoer said. "It's an important time of year and he understands what's at stake, and those guys find a way to raise their level."
This story was not subject to the approval of the National Hockey League or Dallas Stars Hockey Club.
Mike Heika is a Senior Staff Writer for DallasStars.com and has covered the Stars since 1994. Follow him on Twitter @MikeHeika.