Heikkinen's Highlights

Breaking into the league hasn't been easy for Jari Heikkinen. The ice surface is smaller, the pace of play is faster, and the players are generally more physical. With that in mind, likely the first highlight of his season was game six of the regular season, when the Quebec Citadelles -- mired in a season-starting losing streak -- finally managed to notch a win. Not just a win at that, but a convincing win: 6-1 over Anaheim. That was good enough on its own, but it was also the game in which Heikkinen registered his first point, registering an assist. It was one of his better early games, and it did a lot to boost his confidence, as well as that of his team. Granted, their struggles wouldn't end there.

The next highlight was, unfortunately, in a loss. In game 13 of the regular season against the Maine Timber, Heikkinen scored the lone goal for the Citadelles in what would go on to be a 2-1 loss. As much as the disappointing end was a blow to team morale, especially given they outshot (and arguably outplayed) the Timber, it did mark Heikkinen's first personal goal. A win would have been preferable, but your first goal in North America is obviously going to be a big deal. The third and final highlight came during a more successful game, in a 6-4 win against Anchorage. Although commentators noted that Heikkinen's performance during that game was a little porous defensively, he managed to have his single most successful offensive showing with 2 goals and an assist for 3 points. To top that off, he was named first star of the game in what is, for Heikkinen, likely to be a very rare honour.

It must be stated that most of Heikkinen's successes haven't come from dazzling single efforts, but steady and consistent team play. He's not the kind of person who's going to carry a game by himself or make the highlight reel on ESPN. What he is, however, is a player who can sometimes find himself on the scoreboard as a result of clever passes, smooth skating, and decent shooting. That was true of his three point game as much as it has been of his single-point outings.