Danton Heinen reveals the biggest changes he made to his game after being placed on waivers by the Penguins
Photo credit: NHL.com
During training camp, the Penguins made the difficult decision to place veteran Danton Heinen on waivers and now after being called up he has spoken out about being demoted.
Coming out of training camp Kyle Dubas and the Pittsburgh Penguins made the clear decision to prioritize youth on their NHL roster.
This came at the expense of NHL veterans Ryan Graves and Danton Heinen being demoted to the AHL unexpectedly to begin the year.
As the Penguins dealt with injuries Graves was called-up and spoke about the trials and tribulations of being sent to the AHL as a veteran.
Now, Heinen has been called back up by Dubas to the NHL and getting his first opportunity with the Penguins this season.
In a new interview, Heinen spoke about the frustration of being sent down and how he was able to discover a new element of his game and gain confidence during his AHL stint.
Danton Heinen opens up about dealing with frustration after demotion to the AHL
During the recent interview, Heinen admitted he was disappointed and frustrated with the news of being sent down but also did not let himself dwell in those feelings.
Obviously, the news you don't want to hear. You wanted to make this team. But there's not much you can do. You've got to go down, work hard and work towards getting back here.
You always try to learn from mistakes, learn from things. I don't think you can look back with regrets. You've just got to keep looking forward
You always try to learn from mistakes, learn from things. I don't think you can look back with regrets. You've just got to keep looking forward
In wanting to move forward, Heinen reinvented himself becoming a center for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins adding a whole new dimension to his game.
It was fun. There's a few things you've got to learn and a few things that weren't natural. But I got a handful of games under my belt there now. Just trying to learn and get better.
Now, after earning another opportunity, Heinen is solely focused on proving he belongs in the NHL and forcing the Penguins front office to think twice about sending him back down.
I just want to prove that I believe I'm an NHLer, and I believe that I can help this team win. That's what I'm coming up here to do and do everything I can to show it.
Heinen, 30, is in his first full season with the Penguins after a trade over from the Canucks and through three games has yet to register a point.
He remains a player too good for the AHL but without a clearly defined role in the NHL, over the next several games it will be interesting to see if he can take what he's learned to separate himself from the Penguins other depth options.
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