After a 10-game absence, Dallas Stars defenseman Miro Heiskanen will return to the lineup against the Anaheim Ducks on Thursday, head coach Pete DeBoer confirmed.
“You missed him in a lot of different areas for sure,” the bench boss explained after the team's morning skate, according to NHL.com's Taylor Baird. “It's nice to have him back. He makes everybody better when he’s out there.”
Heiskanen got hurt in a collision with goaltender Scott Wedgewood in the third period of a 5-4 overtime defeat at the hands of the Colorado Avalanche on Jan. 4. His knee seemed to bend awkwardly when the teammates ran into each other.
“It doesn't matter how it happens. It’s always frustrating to get injured,” Heiskanen explained, per Baird.
“It was a long three weeks, but I'm really happy to be back. I learned that when we’re playing at our best, we're a really good team. Just have to keep that the whole time, try to stay on top in every game and every situation, but when we're playing our game, we're a really good team.”
Stars played well in Miro Heiskanen's absence
Despite missing their bonafide No. 1 D-man for almost a month, Dallas stepped up without Heiskanen, winning five games in nine tries and compiling a 5-3-1 record over that stretch.
With that, the Stars remain in third place in the Central Division, three points back of the Colorado Avalanche and Central Division-leading Winnipeg Jets.
Still, the return of Miro Heiskanen will be an enormous boost for this club; the 24-year-old Finn leads the team in ice time per game, averaging an eye-opening 25:03. He also leads the defense in scoring with four goals and 27 points in 37 contests in 2023-24.
The former No. 3 overall pick in the 2017 NHL Draft broke out offensively last season, eclipsing his career-highs across the board and finishing with 11 goals and 73 points over 79 games.
He'll immediately step back onto the top powerplay unit with Joe Pavelski, Jason Robertson, Jamie Benn and Roope Hintz, relegating Thomas Harley to the second group.
Puck drop between the Dallas Stars and Anaheim Ducks is set for just past 8:00 p.m. ET at the American Airlines Center.
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