Jets' Ville Heinola to Miss Serious Time

Winnipeg Jets head coach Rick Bowness told reporters that defenseman Ville Heinola has a fractured ankle and will be out for the next eight to 12 weeks. With that, Bowness confirmed that surgery is potentially on the table for the young defenseman. 

Ville Heinola has a fractured ankle per #NHLJets coach Rick Bowness. Next steps to be determined. Minimum of 8 weeks, could be as many as 12.

— Mike McIntyre (@mikemcintyrewpg) October 6, 2023

This is awful news for Heinola, as the young defenseman has been gearing up for a make-or-break season. However, with this latest injury, he is now set to miss a significant portion of the campaign before getting the chance to prove his worth.

Heinola, 22, was selected in the first round of the 2019 NHL Entry Draft by the Jets. He has yet to emerge as a full-time NHL player, but he has had some success at the AHL level. Yet, he will now need to wait a while before getting the chance to try to make their NHL lineup this season. 

At the end of the day, this is just unfortunate news for the left-shot defenseman. Here’s hoping that all goes smoothly with his recovery and that he can get into a good amount of NHL action once he is fully healthy. 

photo credit: © Terrence Lee-USA TODAY Sports