October 26, 2017: The puck on his stick, Boston Bruins rookie Danton Heinen dashed into the San Jose Sharks鈥� zone before dishing off to veteran linemate David Backes.
Backes snapped the puck on net and it bounced off the pads of Sharks goaltender Martin Jones.
The disc laid deliciously in front of Jones where a wide open Heinen smoothly snapped it into the net, blocker side.
It was Heinen鈥檚 first NHL goal, an indelible moment for the 91原创 resident who just four years ago was playing junior B hockey in tiny rinks in Aldergrove, Abbotsford, and Mission.
鈥淚t was pretty cool, something I鈥檒l never forget,鈥� Heinen recalled. 鈥淚t鈥檚 taken a while. I would have liked it to have come a little sooner. You鈥檙e waiting for it and it finally comes, and you realize you can score at that level and it gives you a little bit more jump moving forward.鈥�
Heinen would go on to score the Bruins鈥� second goal in a 2-1 win and since then, he鈥檚 been in a fixture in the Boston lineup, netting 22 points (including eight goals) in 29 games. He鈥檚 tied with all-star veteran Patrice Bergeron for third in Bruins scoring, has played among the B鈥檚 top six forwards, and has seen some power play time.
That鈥檚 not too shabby for a 22-year-old who was held scoreless in eight games in a brief stint with the Bs last season.
On the phone from Boston last month, Heinen told the 91原创 Times he鈥檚 never going to take his foot off the pedal in his battle to remain in the world鈥檚 most elite hockey league.
鈥淓very game you feel a little bit more confident but I think you can never kinda feel comfortable here, you know?鈥� he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 the toughest league in the world and you鈥檝e got to try to keep working hard every day, and earn your spot every day.鈥�
Based solely on where he was selected by the Bruins in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft (fourth round, 116th overall), Heinen was a longshot to become a regular contributor with the Bruins, despite a notable body of work, pre-NHL.
The fact that nearly five years ago, he was playing junior B hockey in the Lower Mainland is impressive.
Heinen scored 63 points the year he helped lead the Richmond Sockeyes to the Pacific Junior Hockey League championship, securing a four-game sweep of the Aldergrove Kodiaks in the title series by edging the Kodiaks 2-1 at Aldergrove Arena in late March 2013.
The Sockeyes went on to capture the Cyclone Taylor (BC) and Keystone Cup (Western Canada) championships and in 10 playoff games Heinen scored six goals with nine assists.
The very next season, he captained the B.C. Hockey League鈥檚 Surrey Eagles.
In his only BCHL campaign, Heinen was named the junior A league鈥檚 Rookie of the Year while leading the Eagles in scoring with 62 points in 57 games.
鈥淪urrey was awesome,鈥� Heinen said. 鈥淚 went there as an 18-year-old and playing junior B the year before, it was a big deal for me. It (the BCHL) is a good league and I got a lot of exposure with colleges, and a lot of NHL scouts at the games. It was a big year for me. They had a great coaching staff, there and (former Eagles head coach) Peter Schaefer helped me a lot. He was a good mentor for me.鈥�
Heinen鈥檚 rapid ascent up the hockey ladder continued at the University of Denver, where as a freshmen he led the team in scoring as a freshmen with 45 points.
A 48 point season followed with Denver in 2015-16 before Heinen turned pro.
He started last season with the Bruins but was soon sent down to Providence, where with the Baby Bs he had a decent rookie year, tallying 14 times while adding 30 assists.
鈥淚 felt like the eight games (with the Bruins to start last season), I didn鈥檛 get anything (on the scoresheet) and I wasn鈥檛 feeling great about my game,鈥� Heinen said. 鈥淭his year, with a year under my belt in Providence, I did feel like I had a lot more experience and a little more confident.鈥�
Christmas in Boston
For the first time, Heinen won鈥檛 be home for Christmas.
It鈥檚 bittersweet but ultimately, is a good thing because it means he鈥檚 solidified his roster spot, for now, with the Bruins.
Despite living primarily in the U.S. the fast few years, Heinen鈥檚 roots are still deeply planted in 91原创. He played all his minor hockey in the community and graduated from 91原创 Christian High School.
He speaks at least twice a week to his parents and lives in 91原创 with his folks in the summer.
鈥淚鈥檝e got a good gig, living there,鈥� Heinen said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 nice going back.鈥�
The dream of playing pro hockey was always there, but once he got to Denver it became 鈥渕ore real,鈥� Heinen said.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 when I kind of realized that if I kept working hard, I could maybe make a career out of it,鈥� he added.
Now that he鈥檚 in The Show, Heinen is taking it all in, living his boyhood dream.
鈥淚t鈥檚 awesome,鈥� Heinen said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a dream playing in the NHL. It鈥檚 everything you imagine. The team鈥檚 on a pretty good streak, here so it鈥檚 even more fun when you鈥檙e winning.鈥�
He鈥檚 also a student of the game, learning all he can from savvy NHL stars including Brad Marchand and Bergeron, who also happen to be his linemates occasionally.
鈥淭hose guys are unbelievable,鈥� Heinen said.
鈥淢arshy and Bergie, they鈥檙e superstars in the league, and they鈥檙e still the hardest working guys in practice. For me, those are guys you look at, and you try to emulate. It just shows you that once you think you鈥檝e made it, you haven鈥檛.
鈥淵ou鈥檝e got to keep on working hard and keep on trying to get better, and those guys are an unbelievable example, day in and day out.鈥�
