Emil Heineman thrilled to be with Islanders: Here we go

Mathieu Darche made no secret of how badly he wanted Emil Heineman after the Swede was included in the deal that sent Noah Dobson to Montreal.Heineman sounded just as happy to be on Long Island on Saturday when he spoke to reporters for the first time since the trade took place in late June.When his agent called him with a heads up that his name was popping up in rumors, Heineman said he started to look into New York while he was at a soccer game later that night.The possibility was exciting enough that he had to calm himself down, and he was more than ready when the deal was completed.“When they called, I was like, ‘All right, here we go,’ ” Heineman said.

“I saw it on Twitter, too, so knew it was coming.When it happened I was like, yeah, really excited.

New adventure for me and my girlfriend, too.We’re looking forward to it.”Unlike a year ago, when Heineman had to fight for a spot to make the Canadiens out of training camp, the belief is he’s very much a part of the Islanders’ plans.

The gregarious Swede’s high level of competitiveness appealed to Darche, and his physical game is a neat fit for the Islanders’ fourth line.“After a while, you get warmer into the league and feel more comfortable,” Heineman said.“Obviously, [getting injured] was a tough break in the middle, there.

I thought overall, I’m really proud of what I brought last year, and really learned how to play in the NHL, too.Overall, especially, [I] learned a lot how to stay in the league and learned how to, every day, come to the games.“For this year, I’m really excited to take the next step.”Heineman, who scored 10 times with eight assists in 62 games with the Canadiens last season, will be the only piece of the Dobson trade on which the Islanders will get an immediate return this year.

Kashawn Aitcheson and Victor Eklund, the prospects the Islanders took 16th and 17th overall with the picks they got back from Montreal, will take some time to develop, with Ekl...