Winnipeg Jets: Finally Watch Heinola and Nikkanen in Action Tonight

After Sunday night’s game was postponed, watch Two Winnipeg Jets prospects in action tonight as Finland takes on the USA in a pre-WJC tuneup game.

A couple of days ago we published an article stating that you could watch Finland take on the Czech Republic in a pre-IIHF World Junior Championship exhibition game. Unfortunately for Winnipeg Jets fans the game was canceled, due to ten positive corona tests around the tournament.

Fortunately for hockey fans, tonight you can get your first glimpse to see Ville Heinola and Henri Nikkanen in action when Finland faces off against the United States at 8:30 p.m. CST.  The game can be seen on TSN3 and TSN5 in Canada and the game will be shown on the NHL Network in the United States.

Even though this may just be a tuneup game, the United States is seeking some revenge after Finland eliminated the U.S. in the quarterfinals in last year’s tournament and beat them in the Gold medal game in 2019. It is fair to say that Finland has had the Americans number in recent years. Look for the U.S. to play fast and physical tonight.

Most people are extremely excited to watch Ville Heinola in action. He turned heads last season in his short stint with the Winnipeg Jets and it will be a tough pre-tournament test against an always solid United States team.

Winnipeg Jets

The nineteen-year-old had one goal in four assists in eight games with the Jets last year. The Jets decided they did not want to burn a year off of his entry-level contract so they sent him on loan to Finnish club, Lukko, to finish the season where he had seven assists in 29 games.

Since there was no timetable for the start of the 2021 NHL season, in early August, Winnipeg loaned Heinola back to Lukko to get some valuable game time before the North American season begins. Heinola has performed extremely well this season, in 19 games he has one goal and 13 assists for Lukko.

It is expected that after the WJC, Heinola will join back up with the Jets as they prepare for the upcoming NHL campaign.

Tonight will also be a lot of fans’ first time watching Henri Nikkanen live. Nikkanen was drafted by the Jets in the fourth round in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft. He has yet to sign a professional contract with the Jets and has played his whole hockey career in Finland.

Nikkanen currently plays for Jukurit, who are in the Liiga division. In 15 games this season, Nikkanen has two goals, five assists, and a -10 plus/minus. It will be interesting to keep an eye on how Nikkanen performs tonight against the United States who features many draft picks on their roster.

Heinola, Nikkanen, and Finland begin tournament play on Christmas Day against Germany at 5:00 p.m. CST and are looking to medal after finishing in fourth place last year and winning the Gold in 2019.

Tonight will be the perfect opportunity to get your first glimpse of what could be the future of the Winnipeg Jets franchise.

*All stats Provided by Elite Prospects*