A bit of brawn might be best remedy for Ryan Donato, Danton Heinen in offensive zone

His offensive production has bottomed out so far in his second full NHL campaign, but Danton Heinen’s spot in the B’s starting lineup is secure —for now.

After ranking ninth among all NHL rookies in scoring last season with 47 points over 77 games, Heinen has seen his scoring totals stymied in 2018-19, with the 23-year-old winger on pace for just 21 points over 80 games played.

Despite ranking fifth among all Bruins forwards in 5v5 TOI (541:22) this season, Heinen stands in eighth place among that same group in individual scoring chances generated with 55 — with Ryan Donato right behind him with 50 scoring chances for despite logging close to 200 minutes less during 5v5 play.

It’s a troubling problem for the Bruins, who have been unable to get Heinen going — even with 59.94 percent of his faceoffs starting in the offensive zone.

Even with his scoring woes, it seems as though Heinen’s strong two-way game will keep earning him regular reps. So what can the young forward due to change his fortunes in the offensive zone? Throwing his weight around a bit more might be a start.



“As long as he helps us win, he’ll stay in and be allowed to play through it, unless we find a player that’s better and more suited,” Bruce Cassidy said of Heinen. “We’ll always look at it. That could be from within, a young player grows his game and passes him. But right now, he’s still a positive for us. We met yesterday talked a bit about I think on his puck battles, he needs to be a little better and more determined.

“He’s relied on his stick and his IQ over the years, maybe the body position part of it now has to become more of a factor. You see that with (Peter) Cehlarik a little more lately, his game has grown in that area from the last time we saw him. Some of it is just a bigger body, just a fact that he’s willing to use. I think Ryan does that well, he’s just not strong on his skates, so that’s where Danton can improve some of his puck possession plays.”

Both Heinen and a fellow slumping youngster in Donato might differ a bit in their play styles — with Donato serving as much more of a sparkplug in the O-zone thanks to a lethal shot — but Cassidy believes both are in the same boat when it comes to the missing piece of their offensive game.

It’s rare that a NHL prospect jumps right into the pro ranks ready to steamroll opposing skaters and win puck battles along the boards and in the corners. Looking back, Cassidy recalls a young Brad Marchand and Vladimir Sobotka as a pair of exceptions based on their time in Providence. But as a whole, adding muscle and learning the ropes of proper positioning down low and along the boards are often put on the back-burner in terms of a young player’s development in today’s NHL.

“I think really the biggest asset and the biggest thing kids are working on nowadays is their speed and puck control,” Marchand said. “I don’t think there’s as big of a (need) for that anymore. I think as long as you can fly around and handle a puck, you’re going to get a shot to play in the league. That’s kind of the way the game has gone. It’s not as much about winning battles and compete level down low, it’s more about skating, so I think that’s what kids are working on more.”

Much like another younger forward in Anders Bjork — both Heinen and Donato seem to have a solution in terms of their lack of sustained chances in the O-zone. But can a young player really becoming a stronger presence over the course of a grueling NHL season?

“I think they can just by knowing how the battles take place,” Cassidy said. "If you’re a student of the game, how do you get on certain edges? How do I get position first where I’m not in a vulnerable spot or on the wrong side of my edges, why I’m on the balls of my feet instead of the toes and heels or whatnot. I think some of that comes through the hockey IQ part of it.

“Put yourself in the position to win the battle. I think over the course of the year, you’ll naturally get stronger as a younger guy. We talked to Ryan Donato about that. It’s like, ‘Listen, this isn't like a flat tire, you put air in it and it’s fixed.' It takes a while. Some of that is just maturity.

“David Pastrnak has gone through it. …. So Ryan, I assume, will take a little bit of time. It’s getting better, it’s gotten better from last year, it’s just part of the game and he initiates contact, he’s in there. When you’re in there battling a lot, that’s where the battles take place. If you're up against big (defensemen), you’re going to lose some. He just has to find a way to get out of there and stay in the skates a little longer, a little stronger on it, because he can make plays when he gets out there and he’s willing to go there.”