Danton Heinen ‘Happy To Be Back’ With Bruins After Trade

They say you can never go home again, but the Boston Bruins have always been anything but predictable.

The Black and Gold reunited with forward Danton Heinen when the club signed the 28-year-old to a Professional Tryout (PTO) on Sept. 5.

Heinen skated in the final captains’ practice on Monday before training camp opens on Sept. 20.

“You never know how life works,” Heinen said, per team-provided video. “I’m happy to be here. I’m excited for the opportunity, and I’m ready to go.”

Heinen donned the Spoked-B in 220 games for the Bruins where he notched 34 goals and 69 assists before being traded to the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for Nick Ritchie ahead of the 2020 NHL trade deadline.

“It’s a business. It caught me off guard a little bit, but that’s the nature of the beast,” Heinen said of the trade. “Those things happen. I loved my time here. It is what it is. No hard feelings and I’m happy to be back.”

Being away from Boston for the past three seasons where he logged 193 games between the Ducks and Pittsburgh Penguins, Heinen took the opportunity to work on his game.

“I think maybe (I’m) a little bit more responsible,” Heinen said of how his game has evolved. “Trying to work on the little things every year and just be able to make small steps every year. I tried to improve everything in my game. I’m a little bigger than I was last time. I like to think I made little steps in most areas of my game.”

Being on a PTO doesn’t guarantee Heinen a spot on the Bruins roster, something he is acutely aware of. He said he spoke with general manager Don Sweeney regarding the expectations. The same expectations the club had when he played in Boston previously.

“Come in and compete,” Heinen said. “Try and win your battles and go from there. I know they’re fair here and they have to put the best team on the ice. It’s my job to try and be a part of that group.”