In case you haven’t heard, Miro Heiskanen had a very solid debut in his first career NHL game. His first full shift was so impressive that it even inspired Sean Shapiro to write up a film room of the young Finnish defenseman:
People will immediately take notice of the scoring chances, but there are more subtle things that make it an excellent shift, such as when the Arizona Coyotes regained possession:
He doesn’t get sucked in offensively, he maintains an ideal gap, taking away options starting in the offensive zone, and by the time the puck does enter the defensive zone he’s angled the Arizona forward into the boards and separated him from the puck with a stick check before making a pass to his defensive partner Marc Methot.