Heikkinen's Strengths

Jari Heikkinen's primary strength is as a puck-carrying defenseman. It's not a role that every team really looks at, but it was his superior skating and puck handling abilities that led him to capture the attention of a few scouts at the end of his last season in Finland. His strong skating skills enable him to rush up ice with the puck and carry it all the way in to the offensive end, both nullifying the need to rely on a dump-and-chase game, and enabling the forward line to get into position for a quick pass or a rebound off a low shot. While he is admittedly less than stellar defensively at the moment, his superior speed should translate well in his own end once he's coached up a little bit more.

So, mobility is the name of the game -- speed, agility, and control are all things that Heikkinen excels at. Not every team needs a mobile end-to-end defensemen, but it's a trait a lot of scouts like, and that's why he's liable to get a shot at an SMJHL line-up this coming season.