Miro Heiskanen facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Miro Heiskanen |
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Heiskanen in 2017
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| Born | 18 July 1999 Espoo, Finland |
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| Height | 6 ft 1 in (185 cm) | ||
| Weight | 185 lb (84 kg; 13 st 3 lb) | ||
| Position | Defence | ||
| Shoots | Left | ||
| NHL team Former teams |
Dallas Stars HIFK |
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| National team |  Finland |
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| NHL Draft | 3rd overall, 2017 Dallas Stars |
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| Playing career | 2016–present | ||
Miro Heiskanen, born on July 18, 1999, is a professional ice hockey player from Finland. He plays as a defenceman for the Dallas Stars team in the National Hockey League (NHL). A defenceman is a player who mainly helps protect their team's goal. Miro is also an alternate captain for his team. He was chosen as the third overall player in the 2017 NHL Draft by the Dallas Stars. This means many teams wanted him!
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Miro Heiskanen's Hockey Journey
Playing in Finland: HIFK (2014–2017)
Miro started playing hockey in Finland when he was young. He played in the youth program for a team called Espoo Blues. Later, he joined the youth program for HIFK, another Finnish team.
When he was 16, playing at the Junior A level, he showed great skill. He earned the Yrjö Hakala Award as the best new player of the year. In 2016, he signed a three-year contract with HIFK.
At just 17 years old, Miro started playing professionally for HIFK in Finland's top league, called Liiga. He was so good that he played on the team's main defensive line. His coach said he was the team's best defenceman that season. Experts believed he was the best European defenceman available for the 2017 NHL Draft. The Dallas Stars picked him third overall in the draft. Even after being drafted, Miro played one more season with HIFK before joining the Stars.
Joining the NHL: Dallas Stars (2018–Present)
Miro joined the Dallas Stars for the 2018–19 NHL season. He played his first NHL game on October 4, 2018. A few weeks later, on October 25, he scored his very first NHL goal! He was only 19 years old, making him one of the youngest defencemen to score for the Stars team.
In January 2019, Miro was chosen to play in the NHL All-Star Game. This is a special game where the best players from different teams play together. He was one of the few rookies (first-year players) in the Stars' history to be picked for this honor.
Miro continued to shine, especially in the 2020 Stanley Cup playoffs. He set a new record for the Dallas Stars, scoring 16 points as a defenceman in the playoffs. The Stars made it all the way to the 2020 Stanley Cup Finals, which is the championship series of the NHL. Miro ended that playoff season with 26 points, which is one of the highest totals ever for a defenceman in a single playoff year! Although the Stars didn't win the Stanley Cup that year, Miro's performance was amazing.
In 2021, Miro signed a big eight-year contract with the Stars. This showed how much the team believed in him.
During the 2022–23 NHL season, Miro had his best season yet. He scored 73 points (goals plus assists), breaking the record for the most points by a Stars defenceman in one season. This record was previously held by another great player, Sergei Zubov. His 73 points also tied the record for the most points by a Finnish-born defenceman in an NHL season.
Miro Heiskanen's Awards and Honors
Miro has won several awards and honors throughout his career, showing his skill and dedication to ice hockey.
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- Yrjö Hakala Award: He won this award in 2016 for being the best rookie in the Finnish Jr. A league.
- Pekka Rautakallio Trophy: In 2018, he won this trophy as the best defenceman in the Finnish Liiga.
- NHL All-Star Game: He was selected to play in the NHL All-Star Game in 2019.
- NHL All-Rookie Team: In 2019, he was named to the NHL All-Rookie Team, which honors the best first-year players in the league.
- IIHF World U18 Championship All-Star Team: He was recognized as one of the best players at the U18 World Championship in 2017.
- WJC18 Best Defenceman: Also in 2017, he was named the best defenceman at the U18 World Championship.
Miro has also won medals representing Finland in international competitions:
| Medal record | ||
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Representing  Finland |
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| Ice hockey | ||
| IIHF World Championship | ||
| Gold | 2022 Finland | |
| IIHF World U18 Championship | ||
| Gold | 2016 United States | |
| Silver | 2017 Slovakia | |
