Danton Heinen is The Peterson School’s Hardest Working Player of the Week
Even before his tryout agreement turned to a contract, the Bruins knew what they were getting with Danton Heinen.
Originally drafted by the club in 2014, Heinen’s best year in the NHL came with Boston back in 2017-18. Heinen also had experience playing for Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery at the University of Denver. Even so, there’s simply no denying that Heinen’s second run with the club has seen him look better than anybody could’ve expected — and that his league-minimum, $775,000 contract has been one of the best values in the league — for this year’s Bruins club.
And barreling towards the end of a season that’s come with a Masterton nod, Heinen put forth one of his best weeks to date last week, and has earned this week’s nod as The Peterson School’s Hardest Working Player of the Week.
In what was a three-game week for Heinen and the Bruins — and with big victories in all three outings against the Preds, Hurricanes, and the Panthers — Heinen tied with linemates David Pastrnak and Pavel Zacha for the team lead in points, with five.
In fact, this line was a damn buzzsaw for the Bruins all week long, and scored big goals in both the Preds and Hurricanes games, and helped kickstart the scoring for the Bruins in last Saturday’s epic, hateful showdown with Florida last weekend, with Heinen credited with the primary assist on the Charlie McAvoy goal in the first period.
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And though Heinen will not generate the fanfare of a Pastrnak, or even a Zacha, there’s no denying that his efforts have paid off on that line, which has emerged as a late-season go-to for Montgomery.
Together for over 148 minutes of five-on-five this season, the Heinen-Zacha-Pastrnak line has been on the ice for a 77-66 shots advantage, while the Bruins have outscored opponents 15-4 over that sample.
Heinen has played a direct hand in that, too, with 35 points through 70 games this season. His 35 points are now the second-most he’s had in any NHL season, trailing only the career-high 47 points he put up with the Bruins in 2017-18. Heinen is also just two goals away from matching the career-high of 18 he posted with the Penguins in 2021-22.
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Matt & Ty are back with a new episode of sports talk and a marathon “Big 3.”
(0:35) Opening banter on school lunches and more.
(13:50) Thoughts on the Boston Bruins’ recent performance and the upcoming Eastern Conference playoffs.
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