Emil Heineman wasted no time in drawing attention to himself in North America, scoring in his first game with Laval Rocket on Wednesday night. Despite everything, the school club of the Montreal Canadiens lost 5-3 to the Bridgeport Islanders at Place Bell.
The 21-year-old Swede brings a breath of fresh air to a team that was running out of ammunition in attack. The left winger, who was signed to the Calgary Flames by Tyler Toffoli a year ago, has just finished his season with Leksand in his country’s elite league.
Heineman, used on the power play by head coach Jean-François Houle, quickly made his presence felt. Positioned to the left of veteran goalkeeper Cory Schneider, he netted a rebound from Pierrick Dubé in the second period.
It wasn’t enough for the Rocket, who were already two goals down. Less than three minutes after Heineman’s success, Arnaud Durandeau made it 3-1 for the guests. The Quebecer struck again late in the game to make it 5-2.
Mitchell Stephens and Brandon Gignac were the other scorers for Laval. Cayden Primeau did his best in goal with 32 saves from 37 shots. It’s hard to do better than Schneider, author of 42 Saves.
The Rocket will return to action Friday against the Milwaukee Admirals at Bell Place.