PuckSleuth
14Not on an NHL roster · Defense · Shoots L
Ville Heinola
Age 25 · 6'0" · 186 lb · Born in Honkajoki, FIN
Cap hit
$850K
0.8% of $104M cap
Term
1 yr
Through 2026-27, then RFA
Clause
None
Surplus value
—
needs 40 recent games
Contract details from our records; public announcement not yet matched
2025-26 regular season
GP
5
Goals
0
0.0% shooting
Assists
0
0 primary
Points
0
0.00 per game
TOI/GP
14:06
PP 1:07 · PK 0:02
xGF%
56.7
5v5, +6.2 vs. last yr
Game Score
+0.13
per game
Faceoff %
—
Plus/minus
0
Blocks 3 · Hits 6
Game log
Last 5 games · NHL API
| Game | G | A | SOG | HIT | BLK | TOI | PP | PK | FO | OZS% | GV | TK | +/- | GS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 16 vs SJS · L 6-1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15:54 | 0:01 | 0:00 | — | 67 | 0 | 0 | -1 | -0.41 |
| Apr 14 @ UTA · L 5-3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 14:54 | 0:00 | 0:10 | — | 20 | 2 | 1 | +1 | +0.28 |
| Mar 5 vs TBL · W 4-1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 13:51 | 2:15 | 0:00 | — | 83 | 1 | 0 | 0 | +0.13 |
| Feb 27 @ ANA · OTL 5-4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 12:07 | 1:13 | 0:00 | — | 33 | 0 | 0 | -1 | +0.02 |
| Feb 25 @ VAN · W 3-2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 13:44 | 2:07 | 0:00 | — | 33 | 0 | 0 | +1 | +0.65 |
GS = our Game Score (credit for everything he did; goals and assists count most). FO = faceoffs won-lost. OZS% = share of his 5v5 offensive and defensive zone faceoff starts that were in the offensive zone. GV/TK = giveaways/takeaways.
Advanced metrics
5v5 unless noted · 2024-25 · 227 min · percentile vs. NHL defensemen
56th percentile
17th percentile
80th percentile
34th percentile
42nd percentile
42nd percentile
100th percentile
30th percentile
45th percentile
18th percentile
36th percentile
3rd percentile
100th percentile
12th percentile
xGF% is his team's share of 5v5 expected goals while he was on the ice, from our own expected goals model; HDCF% counts only high-danger chances (xG of 0.15 or more). IPP is the share of his team's 5v5 goals while he was on the ice that he scored or assisted on. Relative stats compare him with his team when he was off the ice. Goals above expected and ixG/60 use his own shots at all strengths. PDO and OZS% describe luck and deployment, so their bars are grey.
Play style
Trait percentiles vs. NHL defensemen · 2024-25
- Shooting volume
- 57
- Playmaking
- 0
- Zone entries(est.)
- 4
- Forechecking
- 70
- Physicality
- 22
- Defensive impact
- 34
- Puck management
- 73
- Speed
- —
Where he shoots from
Slot 4% · Mid-range 23% · Perimeter 73%(26 unblocked shots)
Strengths
- Puck management: 73rd percentile among defensemen.
- Forechecking: 70th percentile among defensemen.
Watch-outs
- Playmaking: 0th percentile among defensemen.
- Zone entries: 4th percentile among defensemen (estimate).
Similar style: Jalen Chatfield (CAR), Owen Pickering
Built from play-by-play, shift data, and NHL EDGE tracking. Zone entries is an estimate (rush chances while he is on the ice) until tracking data is added. A written scouting summary appears once Claude play-style writing is switched on.
Where his Game Score comes from
2024-25 · 18 GP
Season total +3.4, or +0.19 per game.
- Scoring
- +0.5
- Shooting
- +0.9
- 5-on-5 goals
- +1.1
- Defense
- +0.2
- Physical play
- +1.0
- Puck battles
- -0.4
- Penalties
- +0.2
Game Score gives credit for everything a player does in a game. Goals (1.0) and assists (0.7 primary, 0.5 secondary) count most; shots, blocks, hits, takeaways, penalties drawn, faceoff wins, killing penalties, and holding down the other team's chances add to it. Only mistakes subtract: goals against at 5-on-5, giveaways, penalties taken, faceoff losses, and allowing more chances than an average player would. A player who is there to defend or kill penalties is not marked down for not scoring. Goalies are measured by goals saved above expected.
Career stats
From the NHL's player records
No NHL playoff games yet.
Seasons traded mid-year show one row per team.
Latest news
Headlines from news outlets and team blogs
No news about him in the last 30 days.
Sentiment & chatter
Fans
—
Beat writers
—
Media
—
Fan, beat writer, and media scores, the 14-day trade chatter chart, and the latest mentions appear once sentiment scoring is switched on. Mentions are already being collected.
Recent Game Scores
Last 10 games · goals above average
Average +0.24 per game over these 10.
Skating · NHL EDGE
2025-26, as of Oct 2
- Top speed
- 20.3 mph
- 11th pct
- 20+ mph bursts
- 2
- Hardest shot
- 78.2 mph
- 11th pct
- Distance
- 10.8 mi
- OZ time
- 40.8%
- 36th pct
- DZ time
- 41.1%
Age curve
NHL defensemen · production index
At 25, defensemen typically produce 100% of their peak (age 24).
From 24 seasons of NHL results, adjusted for league scoring and save percentage in each era. Shaded bars are the seasons left on his contract.
Contract by season
1 season left
| Season | Team | Cap hit | % of cap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-27 | VGK | $850K | 0.8% |
RFA after 2026-27. $850K in cap hits left. % of cap uses each season's ceiling where the league has set one ($104M this season, $113.5M in 2027-28).