Raised in Langley, Danton Heinen was a Vancouver Canucks fan growing up and now gets to put on the team's jersey for real.
The six-foot-two winger, 29, signed a two-year, $4.5-million contract with his hometown NHL team on July 1 and will hit the ice for the Canucks' preseason training camp in Penticton starting Sept. 19.
"It's super special," Heinen said of coming to Vancouver. "I grew up going to (Canucks) games and that was the NHL to me, that was the dream, and to be able to put on that jersey, I know how passionate the fanbase is and how much they care, so that's what you want as a hockey player. I'm really excited to get going."
On Monday (Sept. 9), Heinen and his new teammates during the 40th annual charity tournament (aka The Jake).
The humble, soft-spoken Heinen grew up in the Walnut Grove area of Langley.
"I still come back every off-season and live in Langley in the off-season, and my parents are still there a lot," he said. "My siblings are still there. Langley is home."
Starting in 2016, Heinen made stops in a few NHL cities including Boston, Anaheim and Pittsburgh before coming "home" to Vancouver.
A decade ago, the Bruins selected him in the fourth round (116th overall) in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft after he netted 62 points (29 goals, 33 assists) in 57 games with Surrey Eagles of the British Columbia Hockey League. Then came two seasons at the University of Denver, where he had 93 points (36 goals, 57 assists) in 81 games, earning Rookie of the Year honours.
Last season, in a return to Boston, Heinen scored 17 goals in 74 games and was known for competitiveness, net-front presence and responsible defensive play.
In Vancouver he's reunited with fellow winger Jake DeBrusk after a few seasons of playing together in Boston. Now they're both hoping to help the Canucks move beyond the second round of NHL playoffs and win a Stanley Cup championship.
"It's been great so far, just kind of meeting everybody and getting the lay of the land and everything," Heinen said at Northview, where he has golfed in the past.
"I love golf and we've come out here every once in a while," he added. "It's close to Langley, and both of these courses are great."
Growing up, his favourite Canucks players were Marcus Naslund and Alex Burrows, he told the tournament crowd during breakfast.
"You never know if you're gonna get the chance (to play for a hometown team) or how it all works out," Heinen said earlier. "You know, I definitely wanted to play for them one day, so it's nice it worked out."
Canucks General Manager Patrik Allvin announced the deal with Heinen on Canada Day.
鈥淒anton鈥檚 skill set will fit in nicely with the way we want to play hockey,鈥� Allvin said after the signing. 鈥淗is speed and ability to kill penalties will be a big boost for our group. We also feel he can contribute offensively, move up and down the lineup from time to time, and use his body and size to his advantage.鈥�
