Ilkka Heikkinen–What to Expect

December 3, 2009 | Posted by Leslie Treff

This afternoon, the Rangers recalled Ilkka Heikkinen from Hartford. Wade Redden is not likely to be ready to play against Buffalo on Saturday, so a sixth D-man was necessary. He is not the first blueliner to get the call–last weekend we saw Bobby Sanguinetti try to step in and take Redden’s slot. As I said in my blog earlier this week, I think he was the wrong call-up, but there was no question that he had earned his chance to play in the show. The knock on Sanguinetti was always his defense, which was pretty sorely lacking last week in the three games he played for the Rangers.  His defensive play on Friday and Saturday were just not anywhere near NHL level. So he was returned to Hartford on Tuesday and is not expected to get a re-call for awhile.

So the question is will Heikkinen be any better? What does he bring to the table that makes him different from Sanguinetti? Unlike Sanguinetti, who has been in the system for years, Heikkinen was just signed last summer as a free agent out of Finland. Highly sought after, the Rangers felt like they stole a player when they signed him last May. Plus, he understood and was okay with the fact that he would probably start in the AHL. I remember Gordie Clark telling me about Heikkinen when we were at the NHL Combine last May. His face was beaming.

I was impressed too when Heikkinen reported to development camp and looked like an offensive force. But he came down to earth in training camp this Fall, and actually did not look very good at all against players his own age (Heikkinen was 25 last month). His pre-season in Hartford was not good either, as he struggled on the smaller rink and tried to find his offensive game. Slowly though, over the last six weeks, he began rounding into the player that was advertised.

Honestly, I am not sure that he is NHL ready, but Heikkinen does have a booming shot. And he can play defense. He is left handed on a team with an unusual number of righties, and he can play on the PK. He has one of the best plus/minuses in Hartford and now rarely makes defensive mistakes at that level. He has not been NHL tested though and, because he has not been playing extremely well for that long, its unclear how he will do. Kind of like Chad Johnson, who was called up today to back up Henrik Lundqvist. Both have so little North American professional experience, that real readiness is hard to judge.

One thing is certain though. Heikkinen will have to bring the last six weeks’ accomplishments straight to New York. Because management will have him on a very short leash. Redden should be back within a couple of games, and if Heikkinen does not make a good impression right away, he might languish in the minors for the rest of the season. And he only signed a one year deal (he told me in training camp that he’s in North America trying it out), so we may not see him again if he fails now.

In the final analysis, given his recent history and the situation, it’s very hard to predict how he will do, but Heikkinen definitely has an NHL game. It’s up to him to prove that this time the Rangers got the call-up right.

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