14 Ville Heinola D

Heinola will be placed on the taxi squad following his quarantine period after returning from World Juniors, Ken Wiebe of Sportsnet reports.

Considering he missed all of training camp, it shouldn't come as a shock to see Heinola starting the year on the taxi squad. In that role, the blueliner will be able to train with the team which should help him get up to speed. Whenever injuries eventually crop up, Heinola figures to have an inside track to jump into the lineup.

Heinola will begin the 2020-21 campaign on loan with Lukko (Finland).

Heinola logged 29 games with Lukko last year, tallying seven helpers. The blueliner also made eight appearances for the Jets in October, notching one goal, four assists and 10 shots in 18:04 of average ice time. Once the 2020-21 season starts up, Heinola should be a near-lock for the 23-man roster.

Heinola was reassigned to Finnish club Lukko Rauma on Friday.

After a brief three-game stint in the minors, Heinola will return to his native Finland for the rest of the 2019-20 campaign. In eight games with the Jets, the 18-year-old notched one goal and four assists. Selected by Winnipeg with the 20th overall pick of the 2019 NHL Draft, the blueliner should be in contention for a regular spot in the lineup heading into next season.

Heinola was sent down to AHL Manitoba on Thursday, Mike McIntyre of the Winnipeg Free Press reports.

Heinola is two games shy of this year counting toward his entry-level contract, so it's not surprising to see him headed for the minors. The club could still decide to loan him back to his Finnish club Lukko Rauma, but for now the Jets seem to want to keep the blueliner close by. With the Moose, the 18-year-old figures to see a significant uptick in minutes and would likely see the ice on the power play as well, all of which will help further his development. With five points in eight NHL games, the youngster should be a near lock for the 23-man roster next season in the event he doesn't make it back in 2019-20.

Heinola registered an assist, a plus-2 rating and two PIM in Tuesday's 3-2 loss to the Kings.

Heinola's solid start to his NHL career continues with a goal and four helpers in eight appearances. There will be bumps along the way for the 18-year-old defenseman -- he sat out three straight games recently -- but he's shown more good than bad in the early going.

Heinola has notched one goal, two assists and eight shots on net while posting a plus-2 rating through the first four games of the campaign.

The 18-year-old rookie wasn't expected to have a major role with the Jets this season, but with Dustin Byfuglien still contemplating retirement and Nathan Beaulieu (upper body) out long term, he's had a chance to shine early on. If he keeps this up, he'll not only have a permanent spot in Winnipeg's lineup, but will also be a legitimate fantasy option. Heinola is worthy of a waiver claim in most formats.