Montreal Canadiens: Emil Heineman, Joshua Roy, Jesse Ylonen Will Fix Lack Of Scoring Depth
Jesse Ylonen
Jesse Ylonen was selected in the second round of the 2018 NHL Draft, and his skating was viewed as a strength. His technique and speed caught the Habs’ attention, and they viewed him as a player, should things go right, who could be a nice addition to the Canadiens’ top nine. His shot was solid, and he always had his head up scanning for passes, which were hard and accurate.
He played the three seasons following his draft selection in the Finnish Liiga with the Lahti Pelicans, where he put together a trio of solid campaigns. He sharpened his tools against the best competition in Finland, in anticipation of his jump to North America, with hopes of joining the Laval Rocket. In 127 games, the Scottsdale, Arizona-born native of Finland, compiled 56 points (23 goals and 33 assists).
Ylonen made the transition to North American ice during the second half of his 2020-21 campaign, after 21 games with the Pelicans. His first season in Laval was a success, as he transitioned smoothly, to the tune of producing 17 points (eight goals and nine assists) in 28 games. He has steadily improved his production since, which has earned him some sustained playing time in the NHL.
Through 120 games in the American Hockey League, Ylonen has recorded 85 points (34 goals and 51 assists). With the Canadiens, he has played 52 games and posted 21 points (eight goals and 13 assists). The 2023-24 campaign promises to be a big year for him, and should he put all his tools together and use his great one-timer with some regularity, he could prove to be a nice addition to the Canadiens scoring punch for years to come.
Emil Heineman
Emil Heineman is the lone player on the list who wasn’t drafted by the Canadiens but was acquired via trade from the Calgary Flames along with Tyler Pitlick, a 2022 first, and a 2025 fifth-round pick in exchange for Tyler Toffoli. This marked the second time that the Leksand, Sweden native was traded, as he was originally drafted by the Florida Panthers in the second round of the 2020 NHL Draft, but they dealt him to the Flames for Sam Bennett. He has spent his time overseas in the Swedish Hockey League with Leksands IF since his selection.
In Sweden, Heineman worked on his speed, strength and shot, all of which were good, but with some polish, could be the difference between playing at the top or the bottom of the lineup. Surely Kent Hughes or the Canadiens’ Swedish scout had done their due diligence on Heineman, because he was coveted, along with the first-round pick in any deal involving Toffoli. His play in the SHL is very indicative of why he was drafted early in the second round of the ’20 Draft.
Heineman spent the three seasons following his selection, with Leksands, and over 116 games, he scored 44 points (26 goals &18 assists), a testament to his versatility, with an onus on shooting. Oddly enough he never made his North American debut, until he was a part of the Canadiens organization. He made his debut in the AHL with the Rocket, during the second half of the 2022-23 season, and he didn’t waste any time showing off his great shot and speedy skating, scoring seven goals and two assists through 11 games.
Because the Canadiens lack goalscoring depth behind Caufield, Suzuki and Dach, there is a need for more pure shooters in the lineup, Heineman’s shot is a bullet, and he has no issue teeing it up. He is a versatile shooter, with a variety of great shot styles, all of which are powerful and accurate. He auditioned alongside Suzuki and Caufield during the inter-squad scrimmages and looked comfortable, and while he isn’t likely to play on the top line, he would remedy any scoring issue in the bottom six.
Joshua Roy
Joshua Roy is a very interesting player and could end up being the best of the three players listed here, which speaks to his ascension to the top of the Canadiens prospects pool, after being selected in the fifth round of the 2020 NHL Draft. Reportedly, Roy’s diet, work ethic and drive to improve and be better were neglected until the Habs selected him. After that, there was a noticeable shift in the player, and it was a kickstart to some big things to come.
Roy’s skating has been a large question mark and seen as an area to improve, and while he has gotten faster, he will never be a guy who can burn defenders with his speed. But that should be no problem for the St-Georges-de-Beauce, QC native because he is so smart out on the ice, and his anticipation allows him to keep pace with the play. His offence is very good, because he is a multi-dimensional threat, leveraging his brilliant shot to freeze goalies, before making a great pass or firing a shot.
The Quebec Major Junior Hockey Leagues Sherbrooke Phoenix product, split time between the Phoenix and Saint John’s Sea Dogs during his four-year junior career. His 2021-22 season was his best season to date at the time, Roy exploded for 119 points (51 goals and 68 assists) in 66 games. He then scored 23 points (11 goals and 12 assists) in 11 playoff games.
He was one point shy of posting back-to-back 100-point campaigns in his final year of junior hockey, with his 46 goals and 53 assists for 99 points in 55 games before he posted 24 points (12 goals & 12 assists) through 14 postseason contests. He was dynamite at the 2022-23 World Junior Championships and a strong contributor to Team Canada’s gold medal.
Through training Canadiens training camp, Roy has been a standout, playing poised in all three zones, and consistently making smart plays, which translated to a nice goal during the preseason opener. Roy opened the scoring for the Canadiens using his patented quick release to put the Canadiens on the board early.
With the preseason begun, there will be ample opportunity for each of the three players mentioned above to prove themselves ready for an NHL role, and they each have made strong cases so far.
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