Born: 2003-05-08
Team: Ässät
Position: Defenseman
Shoots: Right
Height / Weight: 5-10 / 146
SEASON UPDATE: FEBRUARY 26, 2021
The 2021 NHL Draft eligible defenseman has had a successful season with Ässät U20. His skating and puck moving abilities continue to impress. His four-way mobility is very good, he has some nice agility and generates a quick burst of speed with his acceleration. He can make a quick, crisp first pass or carry the puck from his own end. He closes space quickly and is able to maintain tight gaps. He has improved his physicality since last season, which has helped him to adapt to the demands of the U20 league, and he wins a good amount of his puck battles already. Heimosalmi plays in all situations for his team. He has offensive upside and power play assets, and I believe he has only started to scratch the surface of his potential. His development curve is heading straight up.
REPORT: ÄSSÄT @ KIEKKO-VANTAA U18, AUGUST 15, 2019
Heimosalmi had a very strong game on Ässät U18 defense against Kiekko-Vantaa. He played in all situations for his team and contributed in all three zones. Heimosalmi is a very good skater, he has a terrific first two-step acceleration and he can generate speed through quick crossovers. He is agile, moves well laterally and has good top speed as well. He was highly poised with the puck and gave smart passes at both ends of the ice. His shot looked improved from last season, especially in terms of power. Most of shots got through on net. Heimosalmi was good defensively as well. He made one great interception, using a timely stick to take the puck away. The downside about his play was that he made some turnovers on the breakout, but other than that, I came away very impressed by his game. He is poised for a strong season at the U18’s.
REPORT: ÄSSÄT @ BLUES U16, MARCH 17, 2019
The right-shot defenseman made smart decisions with the puck and contributed at both ends of the ice. Heimosalmi possesses very good mobility, he skates well backwards and has a fairly quick first step. In the third period, he carried the puck from his own end and created an excellent scoring chance, however he couldn’t slide the puck past the Blues goalie. Apart from a couple of turnovers in his own end, he moved the puck very well. He got quality shots on net from the point. What I also liked about Heimosalmi’s game was his play reading without the puck, especially in the defensive zone. He used a quick and active stick to apply pressure on the opponents. Moreover, he did a good job of defending in one-on-one situations.