This story appeared on hockeysverige.se this week and has been translated from Swedish to English.
Drafted by the Florida Panthers 2020 only to see his NHL rights traded twice, first to the Calgary Flames and then to the Montréal Canadiens, forward Emil Heineman finally finds himself in the NHL as a regular with the Habs. Last year, his first full season in North America, didn’t go as he had hoped. He was only dressed for four games in the NHL and spent the rest with Laval Rocket in the AHL. This year, the soon to be 23-year-old Swede has started the season on a much better level.
Through his first 18 games, he’s scored three goals and tallied five points in the NHL.
“I didn’t really have any specific expectations going into this season. It was more a sense of wanting redemption,” Heineman says. “Last year’s camp didn’t go the way I wanted. I was really fired up to be back and ready to give it everything I had to make the team. After that, I’d just see how far it could take me. It was an incredible feeling making the team. That whole week was pure euphoria—from when I first got the news until my first game…it was a blast.”
Can you describe what it felt like when you got the call?
“I had butterflies in my stomach all week,” he said. “When we had the team meeting, the coaches told us that everyone in the room had made the opening roster. After that, we had a video meeting. I barely kept up with what was said in that meeting because I was so nervous, excited, happy—everything at once.”
How were those first shifts on the ice?
“High intensity,” Heineman said. “It was a home opener against Toronto, and it was physical. Everything you’d expect from an opening night against the Leafs. It was a close game that we won 1-0, amazingly enough. Our goalie (Sam Montembeault) was incredible, standing on his head and saving shot after shot. He was fantastic in that game, and we all played solid and steady.
“We’ve already played Toronto three times this season, including preseason and regular season. It’s incredible to face those top players, to test yourself against them. Of course, it’s extra exciting to go up against guys like (William) Nylander. Those are the games you want to be part of.”
There aren’t many matchups more classic than Montreal versus Toronto.
“Exactly. It feels crazy that I’ve already played in a few of them,” Heineman said, laughing. “The energy in the arena is wild. You can feel it in the air that these games are special, and everyone knows it. Toronto is a rival, and it’s been that way for a hundred years.”
How do you feel about your own start to the season?
“I think I’ve been battling hard. It started well—I scored my first goal (in game two against Ottawa) and rode that momentum a bit. I hit a bit of a slump but worked my way back from it. I’m learning from everything, and I think it’s gone well. Unfortunately, things haven’t been going great for us as a team, but I think we’ve started to find our rhythm, and it was nice to get that win (7-5 last week against the Buffalo Sabres, in which Heineman scored a goal) to build on. I believe things will turn around for us now, and we’ll get some lucky breaks. It would be nice to catch a bit of a hot streak and ride that wave.”
Montreal is a hockey-crazy city. Do people approach you to talk hockey when you’re out in the city?
“It’s nothing too overwhelming, but it has actually happened that I’ve gotten a free coffee because the café owner recognized me. That’s kind of cool. But no, I wouldn’t say I’m a big celebrity yet,” he said with a laugh.
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