The Finnish blueliner cemented his elite status by pairing 63 points with relentless defensive instincts, earning significant ballot support as the backbone of the Dallas Stars' powerhouse rotation.
Another season came and went in the NHL, and once again Miro Heiskanen served as a reminder of just how good he is.
The 26-year-old Finnish defenseman put together another elite campaign for the Dallas Stars, one that saw his name appear on the Norris Trophy ballot and cemented his standing as one of the premier blueliners in the league.
Heiskanen finished the season with nine goals and 54 assists for 63 points, his highest single-season total since the 2022-23 campaign when he posted 73 points and the second-highest mark of his career.
The offensive production was a welcome sign for a player who has occasionally seen his scoring fluctuate, and it came alongside a plus-nine rating that reflected his continued reliability on both sides of the puck. While names like Cale Makar and eventual Norris Trophy winner Zach Werenski ultimately outpaced him in the voting, Heiskanen's season stood comfortably among the best defensive performances in the league.
His workload once again placed him among the most relied-upon players on the Stars roster. Heiskanen logged 1,961 minutes of ice time on the season, just edging out his longtime defensive partner Esa Lindell, a pairing that has become one of the more dependable in the Western Conference. Carrying that kind of responsibility night after night over a full season is a testament to both his durability and the trust Dallas places in him.
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Heiskanen is not known as a physical presence, but he contributed in the defensive areas of the game in meaningful ways. He finished with 132 blocked shots, third-most on the team, and led all Stars players with 39 takeaways on the season, a number that speaks to his instincts and positioning in his own end.
When Norris Trophy votes were counted, Heiskanen earned three second-place votes, one third-place vote, six fourth-place votes and eight fifth-place votes, finishing with enough support to land on the final ballot.
The result affirmed what Stars fans have long understood and what the rest of the league is continuing to recognize. If Heiskanen continues building on the kind of season he just put together, future Norris conversations may find his name a good deal harder to overlook.
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