Heatherington has taken the young core under his wing and shown them what it takes to be a professional
Dillon Heatherington's journey to the Senators organization has been a long one.
Whereas some players may get drafted and play with the same team for a long time, Heatherington's journey has seen him make multiple stops along the way.
Playing his junior hockey with the Swift Current Broncos of the WHL, Heatherington was drafted in the second round of the 2013 NHL Draft by the Columbus Blue Jackets - his second full season in the WHL.
After spending parts of five seasons with the Broncos, which included an appearance at the 2015 World Juniors and 87 career WHL points, Heatherington made the jump to the pros.
In his first full AHL season in 2015-16, with what was then the Lake Erie Monsters (the team became the Cleveland Monsters on Aug. 9, 2016), Heatherington was part of a Calder Cup winning run, posting 19 points in the regular season and three assists in 15 playoff games.
Learning under veterans like Manny Malhotra, Jan Hejda and Steve Eminger, it allowed Heatherington to learn what it took to be a professional.
While things appeared to be going well for him, Heatherington - in his second full AHL season - was traded to the Dallas Stars on March 1, 2017 in exchange for Lauri Korpikoski and would finish out the rest of the campaign with the Texas Stars.
The longest stop in his professional career, Heatherington would go on to play 250 games over parts of four seasons with the Stars organization, including making his NHL debut on Jan. 18, 2018 against the Blue Jackets.
Dillon Heatherington lining up a shot on net against the Buffalo Sabres on Jan. 20, 2018, his second game in the NHL. Almost full circle on his journey to the Sens, Heatherington spent one season playing overseas in the KHL when Ottawa reached out with another NHL opportunity.
"One of my former coaches in Texas, the assistant coach Bob Jones, is an assistant coach up here in Ottawa," Heatherington said. "He kind of reached out and the GM [Pierre Dorion] reached out and asked if maybe it’s something of interest."
After not knowing if he would get another crack at the NHL, Heatherington jumped at the offer.
"Coming back from playing overseas, it was a blessing for sure so I took it and ran with it and I’m sure glad that I did," he said.
Having been in Belleville for three seasons now, besides the occasional call-ups to the nation's capital, Heatherington loves the small town feel and passionate fans that can be found in the city.
"Here in Belleville, it’s a smaller community and it’s a hockey town in Ontario so it’s been really good," he mentioned. "You don’t get lost in the big city lifestyle and you’re definitely a lot closer with your teammates playing in a small town here. It’s been a great experience."
As he got settled into the organization and familiar with his surroundings, Heatherington was identified by the Senators as someone capable of being a leader and mentoring their younger players.
After spending just over a season with the team, the Belleville Senators named Heatherington the fifth captain in franchise history on Oct. 11, 2022.
With more Senators prospects joining the pro ranks over the last few seasons, it hasn't been smooth sailing the entire way. Belleville finished the 2022-23 season 26th in the standings, posting a 31-31-6-4 record.
Icing a lineup where younger players are trying to find their game and identity at the pro level will come with bumps and bruises but the organization didn't let that deter them.
Entering this season on a mission to get back to the playoffs, it has been Heatherington leading the charge behind the scenes - taking the young players under his wing and showing them the way.
"Being here in Belleville you just spend a lot of time around each other either being at the rink or away from the rink," he said. "You get to know your players on a little bit more of a personal level so just making sure that they’re as comfortable as they are and know that I got their back so that they can really enjoy themselves and develop as people and as players."
"The young guys that we do have, that being [Zach] Ostapchuk or [Tyler] Kleven or even these newer guys with [Stephen] Halliday and [Oskar] Pettersson coming in, they’re great players and even better people."
With the Senators up 1-0 in their second round series against the Cleveland Monsters, Heatherington is currently sidelined for the foreseeable future with an upper-body injury.
Although his contract is up at the end of the season and he is forced to watch from the sidelines, Heatherington is still fully committed to the team - showcasing his impact on the Sens organization even when he isn't on the ice.
"I haven’t even really thought about it. I mean, just kind of focused on this playoff run and putting all my energy into the team and the run.”
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