I Feel "Aw-Ville" Sad

[bigoljetairliner]

I Feel "Aw-Ville" Sad


When defenseman Ville Heinola went down awkwardly in the corner on Thursday, the pain from a broken ankle visibly displayed on his face, a part of me became angry. The unfortunate timing for a player who appeared to be on the cusp of making the Winnipeg Jets opening day roster definitely left me feeling sad too, that was understandable. But why was anger mixed in? There was nothing dirty or illegal about the contact leading to the injury, so that wasn't the reason for the intense emotion. So what was it about?


After the Winnipeg Jets drafted Heinola with the 20th selection in 2019, the 18 year old impressed in his first taste of the NHL with 5 points in 8 games. At that point in time, I was like everybody else in hoping that he would be a full-time Jet in 2020-21. But having the opportunity to watch Ville play regularly with the Manitoba Moose, I realized that despite having immense talent, the smallish defender did have some work to do before reaching his full potential.

Heinola didn't make the NHL squad the following two seasons, but did show his offensive abilities in the AHL (.579 to .634 point percentage), while also displaying some promise in the defensive zone (+4 and +7).

The youngster was really disappointed to not crack the Jets' lineup in 2022-23, but he took the words of his coach to heart and really set to work on his defensive game in the minors. That focus probably impaired his offensive numbers a bit, but Ville still was able to increase his production (.771 pt %) with a solid season in a Moose jersey. More importantly, the left handed defenseman made big strides in his body positioning and gap control defensively to lead the squad with a +20 rating (Harkins was the closest with a +11). I have to admit that Heinola won me back on to the "Free Ville" bandwagon after his last season. The guy could have whined & pouted about not getting what he felt he deserved, but instead went the other direction and did exactly what he was told he needed to do to become an NHL player.

At 6'1", Heinola is not exactly small for an NHL defenseman since players like Kris Letang, Quinn Hughes, and Cale Makar are all examples of guys who get it done with less size to work with. However, the 22 year old Finnish defender does have a slim build and spent this off-season working on improving that weakness. As someone who also had a high-metabolism at that age, I understand how difficult it is to gain weight for someone like Ville. Personally, I used a lot of beer drinking to reach my highest weight at his age, but don't think it did a whole lot to improve my hockey game. Heinola had to go a different route, working with his trainers and basically eating non-stop to put on 13 lbs of muscle coming into this year's training camp.

The coaching staff dressed Ville for 5 of the pre-season games, only missing the 5-0 blowout victory over the Edmonton Oilers. Despite those games including one win and 4 losses, Heinola was impressive with 9 shots and a goal over 94:32 in ice-time, while only taking one minor penalty. Defensively, he was even more impressive with 5 blocked shots, 3 takeaways, 1 giveaway, and 7 bodychecks. The Finnish defender also managed to escape those games with an even plus/minus rating, despite the Jets being outscored 13-8.


All that good work was derailed on Heinola's 5th shift in his 5th pre-season game, when he got tangled up with an Ottawa Senator in the defensive corner. Ville did exactly the things a NHL team wants to build a successful draft-and-develop culture around....work hard and be rewarded is the end goal. Heinola was so close to proving that to his teammates and any future Winnipeg Jets' prospects. And that is a message VERY much needed for our franchise at this point in it's second reincarnation.

Well, at least all this writing has helped me discover the reason for my anger. After a couple of seasons of dealing with locker room problems, seeing a young player like Heinola putting in the effort to reach his goals without complaining and be successful could have been the spark to start creating a "team first" attitude in the True North buildings. Coming so close to witnessing such a feel-good story just to have it yanked away before Heinola could really prove what he could do. That makes me angry for the young Finn's delayed shot at the NHL and the missed opportunity to get some positive feelings in Winnipeg's dressing room.


Who knows, maybe Heinola's effort alone with be enough to inspire head coach Rick Bowness and new Jets captain Adam Lowry to get the rest of the squad to fully buy-in and my anger will be wasted. In the meantime, I will hope that Ville heals quickly and properly, bringing his positive attitude and great passing back to the franchise as soon as possible.

[PeakyBlinders]

Didn’t know ville had added 13 LBs, he certainly looked bigger (and did not look 14 years old any longer). He will be back.

[ekjet72]

Re: I feel " Aw-Ville" sad..as a guy who struggles to cobble 3 sentences together in a coherent fashion, I appreciate the writing that you've contributed and will continue to do.
I chuckled when you said adding weight by drinking beer as player didn't help your hockey game. However drinking beer as a spectator does make you "hockey wiser". You're never wrong about your opinions at the arena!
Good luck in the semi-profesional "A"IH of hockey writing. And hopefully it helps with your anger management BOJA!

[2b9]

Oct 9, 2023 23:12:07 GMT -6 bigoljetairliner said:

I Feel "Aw-Ville" Sad


When defenseman Ville Heinola went down awkwardly in the corner on Thursday, the pain from a broken ankle visibly displayed on his face, a part of me became angry. The unfortunate timing for a player who appeared to be on the cusp of making the Winnipeg Jets opening day roster definitely left me feeling sad too, that was understandable. But why was anger mixed in? There was nothing dirty or illegal about the contact leading to the injury, so that wasn't the reason for the intense emotion. So what was it about?


After the Winnipeg Jets drafted Heinola with the 20th selection in 2019, the 18 year old impressed in his first taste of the NHL with 5 points in 8 games. At that point in time, I was like everybody else in hoping that he would be a full-time Jet in 2020-21. But having the opportunity to watch Ville play regularly with the Manitoba Moose, I realized that despite having immense talent, the smallish defender did have some work to do before reaching his full potential.

Heinola didn't make the NHL squad the following two seasons, but did show his offensive abilities in the AHL (.579 to .634 point percentage), while also displaying some promise in the defensive zone (+4 and +7).

The youngster was really disappointed to not crack the Jets' lineup in 2022-23, but he took the words of his coach to heart and really set to work on his defensive game in the minors. That focus probably impaired his offensive numbers a bit, but Ville still was able to increase his production (.771 pt %) with a solid season in a Moose jersey. More importantly, the left handed defenseman made big strides in his body positioning and gap control defensively to lead the squad with a +20 rating (Harkins was the closest with a +11). I have to admit that Heinola won me back on to the "Free Ville" bandwagon after his last season. The guy could have whined & pouted about not getting what he felt he deserved, but instead went the other direction and did exactly what he was told he needed to do to become an NHL player.

At 6'1", Heinola is not exactly small for an NHL defenseman since players like Kris Letang, Quinn Hughes, and Cale Makar are all examples of guys who get it done with less size to work with. However, the 22 year old Finnish defender does have a slim build and spent this off-season working on improving that weakness. As someone who also had a high-metabolism at that age, I understand how difficult it is to gain weight for someone like Ville. Personally, I used a lot of beer drinking to reach my highest weight at his age, but don't think it did a whole lot to improve my hockey game. Heinola had to go a different route, working with his trainers and basically eating non-stop to put on 13 lbs of muscle coming into this year's training camp.

The coaching staff dressed Ville for 5 of the pre-season games, only missing the 5-0 blowout victory over the Edmonton Oilers. Despite those games including one win and 4 losses, Heinola was impressive with 9 shots and a goal over 94:32 in ice-time, while only taking one minor penalty. Defensively, he was even more impressive with 5 blocked shots, 3 takeaways, 1 giveaway, and 7 bodychecks. The Finnish defender also managed to escape those games with an even plus/minus rating, despite the Jets being outscored 13-8.


All that good work was derailed on Heinola's 5th shift in his 5th pre-season game, when he got tangled up with an Ottawa Senator in the defensive corner. Ville did exactly the things a NHL team wants to build a successful draft-and-develop culture around....work hard and be rewarded is the end goal. Heinola was so close to proving that to his teammates and any future Winnipeg Jets' prospects. And that is a message VERY much needed for our franchise at this point in it's second reincarnation.

Well, at least all this writing has helped me discover the reason for my anger. After a couple of seasons of dealing with locker room problems, seeing a young player like Heinola putting in the effort to reach his goals without complaining and be successful could have been the spark to start creating a "team first" attitude in the True North buildings. Coming so close to witnessing such a feel-good story just to have it yanked away before Heinola could really prove what he could do. That makes me angry for the young Finn's delayed shot at the NHL and the missed opportunity to get some positive feelings in Winnipeg's dressing room.


Who knows, maybe Heinola's effort alone with be enough to inspire head coach Rick Bowness and new Jets captain Adam Lowry to get the rest of the squad to fully buy-in and my anger will be wasted. In the meantime, I will hope that Ville heals quickly and properly, bringing his positive attitude and great passing back to the franchise as soon as possible.

Awesome write up, Thanks👍.

[ddanger]

Oct 9, 2023 23:12:07 GMT -6 bigoljetairliner said:

I Feel "Aw-Ville" Sad


When defenseman Ville Heinola went down awkwardly in the corner on Thursday, the pain from a broken ankle visibly displayed on his face, a part of me became angry. The unfortunate timing for a player who appeared to be on the cusp of making the Winnipeg Jets opening day roster definitely left me feeling sad too, that was understandable. But why was anger mixed in? There was nothing dirty or illegal about the contact leading to the injury, so that wasn't the reason for the intense emotion. So what was it about?


After the Winnipeg Jets drafted Heinola with the 20th selection in 2019, the 18 year old impressed in his first taste of the NHL with 5 points in 8 games. At that point in time, I was like everybody else in hoping that he would be a full-time Jet in 2020-21. But having the opportunity to watch Ville play regularly with the Manitoba Moose, I realized that despite having immense talent, the smallish defender did have some work to do before reaching his full potential.

Heinola didn't make the NHL squad the following two seasons, but did show his offensive abilities in the AHL (.579 to .634 point percentage), while also displaying some promise in the defensive zone (+4 and +7).

The youngster was really disappointed to not crack the Jets' lineup in 2022-23, but he took the words of his coach to heart and really set to work on his defensive game in the minors. That focus probably impaired his offensive numbers a bit, but Ville still was able to increase his production (.771 pt %) with a solid season in a Moose jersey. More importantly, the left handed defenseman made big strides in his body positioning and gap control defensively to lead the squad with a +20 rating (Harkins was the closest with a +11). I have to admit that Heinola won me back on to the "Free Ville" bandwagon after his last season. The guy could have whined & pouted about not getting what he felt he deserved, but instead went the other direction and did exactly what he was told he needed to do to become an NHL player.

At 6'1", Heinola is not exactly small for an NHL defenseman since players like Kris Letang, Quinn Hughes, and Cale Makar are all examples of guys who get it done with less size to work with. However, the 22 year old Finnish defender does have a slim build and spent this off-season working on improving that weakness. As someone who also had a high-metabolism at that age, I understand how difficult it is to gain weight for someone like Ville. Personally, I used a lot of beer drinking to reach my highest weight at his age, but don't think it did a whole lot to improve my hockey game. Heinola had to go a different route, working with his trainers and basically eating non-stop to put on 13 lbs of muscle coming into this year's training camp.

The coaching staff dressed Ville for 5 of the pre-season games, only missing the 5-0 blowout victory over the Edmonton Oilers. Despite those games including one win and 4 losses, Heinola was impressive with 9 shots and a goal over 94:32 in ice-time, while only taking one minor penalty. Defensively, he was even more impressive with 5 blocked shots, 3 takeaways, 1 giveaway, and 7 bodychecks. The Finnish defender also managed to escape those games with an even plus/minus rating, despite the Jets being outscored 13-8.


All that good work was derailed on Heinola's 5th shift in his 5th pre-season game, when he got tangled up with an Ottawa Senator in the defensive corner. Ville did exactly the things a NHL team wants to build a successful draft-and-develop culture around....work hard and be rewarded is the end goal. Heinola was so close to proving that to his teammates and any future Winnipeg Jets' prospects. And that is a message VERY much needed for our franchise at this point in it's second reincarnation.

Well, at least all this writing has helped me discover the reason for my anger. After a couple of seasons of dealing with locker room problems, seeing a young player like Heinola putting in the effort to reach his goals without complaining and be successful could have been the spark to start creating a "team first" attitude in the True North buildings. Coming so close to witnessing such a feel-good story just to have it yanked away before Heinola could really prove what he could do. That makes me angry for the young Finn's delayed shot at the NHL and the missed opportunity to get some positive feelings in Winnipeg's dressing room.


Who knows, maybe Heinola's effort alone with be enough to inspire head coach Rick Bowness and new Jets captain Adam Lowry to get the rest of the squad to fully buy-in and my anger will be wasted. In the meantime, I will hope that Ville heals quickly and properly, bringing his positive attitude and great passing back to the franchise as soon as possible.

Great summary. Thanks for taking the time to write this!
Two personal comments....I'm not angry, I'm sad about what happened.  And the second....beer AND CHIPS is a great weight-gainer! 

[2b9]

Oct 9, 2023 23:12:07 GMT -6 bigoljetairliner said:

I Feel "Aw-Ville" Sad


When defenseman Ville Heinola went down awkwardly in the corner on Thursday, the pain from a broken ankle visibly displayed on his face, a part of me became angry. The unfortunate timing for a player who appeared to be on the cusp of making the Winnipeg Jets opening day roster definitely left me feeling sad too, that was understandable. But why was anger mixed in? There was nothing dirty or illegal about the contact leading to the injury, so that wasn't the reason for the intense emotion. So what was it about?


After the Winnipeg Jets drafted Heinola with the 20th selection in 2019, the 18 year old impressed in his first taste of the NHL with 5 points in 8 games. At that point in time, I was like everybody else in hoping that he would be a full-time Jet in 2020-21. But having the opportunity to watch Ville play regularly with the Manitoba Moose, I realized that despite having immense talent, the smallish defender did have some work to do before reaching his full potential.

Heinola didn't make the NHL squad the following two seasons, but did show his offensive abilities in the AHL (.579 to .634 point percentage), while also displaying some promise in the defensive zone (+4 and +7).

The youngster was really disappointed to not crack the Jets' lineup in 2022-23, but he took the words of his coach to heart and really set to work on his defensive game in the minors. That focus probably impaired his offensive numbers a bit, but Ville still was able to increase his production (.771 pt %) with a solid season in a Moose jersey. More importantly, the left handed defenseman made big strides in his body positioning and gap control defensively to lead the squad with a +20 rating (Harkins was the closest with a +11). I have to admit that Heinola won me back on to the "Free Ville" bandwagon after his last season. The guy could have whined & pouted about not getting what he felt he deserved, but instead went the other direction and did exactly what he was told he needed to do to become an NHL player.

At 6'1", Heinola is not exactly small for an NHL defenseman since players like Kris Letang, Quinn Hughes, and Cale Makar are all examples of guys who get it done with less size to work with. However, the 22 year old Finnish defender does have a slim build and spent this off-season working on improving that weakness. As someone who also had a high-metabolism at that age, I understand how difficult it is to gain weight for someone like Ville. Personally, I used a lot of beer drinking to reach my highest weight at his age, but don't think it did a whole lot to improve my hockey game. Heinola had to go a different route, working with his trainers and basically eating non-stop to put on 13 lbs of muscle coming into this year's training camp.

The coaching staff dressed Ville for 5 of the pre-season games, only missing the 5-0 blowout victory over the Edmonton Oilers. Despite those games including one win and 4 losses, Heinola was impressive with 9 shots and a goal over 94:32 in ice-time, while only taking one minor penalty. Defensively, he was even more impressive with 5 blocked shots, 3 takeaways, 1 giveaway, and 7 bodychecks. The Finnish defender also managed to escape those games with an even plus/minus rating, despite the Jets being outscored 13-8.


All that good work was derailed on Heinola's 5th shift in his 5th pre-season game, when he got tangled up with an Ottawa Senator in the defensive corner. Ville did exactly the things a NHL team wants to build a successful draft-and-develop culture around....work hard and be rewarded is the end goal. Heinola was so close to proving that to his teammates and any future Winnipeg Jets' prospects. And that is a message VERY much needed for our franchise at this point in it's second reincarnation.

Well, at least all this writing has helped me discover the reason for my anger. After a couple of seasons of dealing with locker room problems, seeing a young player like Heinola putting in the effort to reach his goals without complaining and be successful could have been the spark to start creating a "team first" attitude in the True North buildings. Coming so close to witnessing such a feel-good story just to have it yanked away before Heinola could really prove what he could do. That makes me angry for the young Finn's delayed shot at the NHL and the missed opportunity to get some positive feelings in Winnipeg's dressing room.


Who knows, maybe Heinola's effort alone with be enough to inspire head coach Rick Bowness and new Jets captain Adam Lowry to get the rest of the squad to fully buy-in and my anger will be wasted. In the meantime, I will hope that Ville heals quickly and properly, bringing his positive attitude and great passing back to the franchise as soon as possible.

Love your headline for the Article😉👍.

[2b9]

Oct 10, 2023 5:33:20 GMT -6 ekjet72 said:

Re: I feel " Aw-Ville" sad..as a guy who struggles to cobble 3 sentences together in a coherent fashion, I appreciate the writing that you've contributed and will continue to do.
I chuckled when you said adding weight by drinking beer as player didn't help your hockey game. However drinking beer as a spectator does make you "hockey wiser". You're never wrong about your opinions at the arena!
Good luck in the semi-profesional "A"IH of hockey writing. And hopefully it helps with your anger management BOJA!

Cute😉👍!

[2b9]

Oct 10, 2023 5:13:58 GMT -6 PeakyBlinders said:

Didn’t know ville had added 13 LBs, he certainly looked bigger (and did not look 14 years old any longer). He will be back.

Yes, he will be back, and with more vigour than ever👍.

[2b9]

Oct 10, 2023 11:25:32 GMT -6 ddanger said:

Oct 9, 2023 23:12:07 GMT -6 bigoljetairliner said:

I Feel "Aw-Ville" Sad


When defenseman Ville Heinola went down awkwardly in the corner on Thursday, the pain from a broken ankle visibly displayed on his face, a part of me became angry. The unfortunate timing for a player who appeared to be on the cusp of making the Winnipeg Jets opening day roster definitely left me feeling sad too, that was understandable. But why was anger mixed in? There was nothing dirty or illegal about the contact leading to the injury, so that wasn't the reason for the intense emotion. So what was it about?


After the Winnipeg Jets drafted Heinola with the 20th selection in 2019, the 18 year old impressed in his first taste of the NHL with 5 points in 8 games. At that point in time, I was like everybody else in hoping that he would be a full-time Jet in 2020-21. But having the opportunity to watch Ville play regularly with the Manitoba Moose, I realized that despite having immense talent, the smallish defender did have some work to do before reaching his full potential.

Heinola didn't make the NHL squad the following two seasons, but did show his offensive abilities in the AHL (.579 to .634 point percentage), while also displaying some promise in the defensive zone (+4 and +7).

The youngster was really disappointed to not crack the Jets' lineup in 2022-23, but he took the words of his coach to heart and really set to work on his defensive game in the minors. That focus probably impaired his offensive numbers a bit, but Ville still was able to increase his production (.771 pt %) with a solid season in a Moose jersey. More importantly, the left handed defenseman made big strides in his body positioning and gap control defensively to lead the squad with a +20 rating (Harkins was the closest with a +11). I have to admit that Heinola won me back on to the "Free Ville" bandwagon after his last season. The guy could have whined & pouted about not getting what he felt he deserved, but instead went the other direction and did exactly what he was told he needed to do to become an NHL player.

At 6'1", Heinola is not exactly small for an NHL defenseman since players like Kris Letang, Quinn Hughes, and Cale Makar are all examples of guys who get it done with less size to work with. However, the 22 year old Finnish defender does have a slim build and spent this off-season working on improving that weakness. As someone who also had a high-metabolism at that age, I understand how difficult it is to gain weight for someone like Ville. Personally, I used a lot of beer drinking to reach my highest weight at his age, but don't think it did a whole lot to improve my hockey game. Heinola had to go a different route, working with his trainers and basically eating non-stop to put on 13 lbs of muscle coming into this year's training camp.

The coaching staff dressed Ville for 5 of the pre-season games, only missing the 5-0 blowout victory over the Edmonton Oilers. Despite those games including one win and 4 losses, Heinola was impressive with 9 shots and a goal over 94:32 in ice-time, while only taking one minor penalty. Defensively, he was even more impressive with 5 blocked shots, 3 takeaways, 1 giveaway, and 7 bodychecks. The Finnish defender also managed to escape those games with an even plus/minus rating, despite the Jets being outscored 13-8.


All that good work was derailed on Heinola's 5th shift in his 5th pre-season game, when he got tangled up with an Ottawa Senator in the defensive corner. Ville did exactly the things a NHL team wants to build a successful draft-and-develop culture around....work hard and be rewarded is the end goal. Heinola was so close to proving that to his teammates and any future Winnipeg Jets' prospects. And that is a message VERY much needed for our franchise at this point in it's second reincarnation.

Well, at least all this writing has helped me discover the reason for my anger. After a couple of seasons of dealing with locker room problems, seeing a young player like Heinola putting in the effort to reach his goals without complaining and be successful could have been the spark to start creating a "team first" attitude in the True North buildings. Coming so close to witnessing such a feel-good story just to have it yanked away before Heinola could really prove what he could do. That makes me angry for the young Finn's delayed shot at the NHL and the missed opportunity to get some positive feelings in Winnipeg's dressing room.


Who knows, maybe Heinola's effort alone with be enough to inspire head coach Rick Bowness and new Jets captain Adam Lowry to get the rest of the squad to fully buy-in and my anger will be wasted. In the meantime, I will hope that Ville heals quickly and properly, bringing his positive attitude and great passing back to the franchise as soon as possible.

Great summary. Thanks for taking the time to write this!
Two personal comments....I'm not angry, I'm sad about what happened.  And the second....beer AND CHIPS is a great weight-gainer! 

Love Beer, love Chips😃👍😉.

[bigoljetairliner]

Oct 10, 2023 16:46:19 GMT -6 2b9 said:

Oct 9, 2023 23:12:07 GMT -6 bigoljetairliner said:

I Feel "Aw-Ville" Sad

Love your headline for the Article😉👍.

Thanks, it was pretty corny, but couldn't resist the word play on awfully.

[ekjet72]

This is a slight digression from Ville but involves beer!
So my B-I-L says he lost weight by quitting his curling league. Thinking out loud that exercise is good for weight control I asked how did stopping curling help him lose weight? Well he said, I stopped having a cheeseburger with fries and a beer at 10 PM.

[2b9]

Oct 10, 2023 19:45:23 GMT -6 bigoljetairliner said:

Oct 10, 2023 16:46:19 GMT -6 2b9 said:

Love your headline for the Article😉👍.

Thanks, it was pretty corny, but couldn't resist the word play on awfully.

😉👍

[ddanger]

Oct 10, 2023 23:15:24 GMT -6 ekjet72 said:

This is a slight digression from Ville but involves beer!
So my B-I-L says he lost weight by quitting his curling league. Thinking out loud that exercise is good for weight control I asked how did stopping curling help him lose weight? Well he said, I stopped having a cheeseburger with fries and a beer at 10 PM.

exactly.....bride and I are both down 25lbs since January of 2022. Stopped eating chips etc etc after supper was the biggest thing. And beer