TOLEDO, Ohio — It's New Year's Eve and the final Toledo Walleye game for Winterfest 2021. Fans slowly begin to fill a section of the stands above the home dugout.
It's a tradition as familiar as yelling "hit somebody" during the anthem: the jersey auction.
This time, there's a twist. The Walleye sold "golden tickets" and one lucky person would win their choice of any jersey on the Toledo Walleye roster. First dibs before the auction starts.
Would it be goaltender Billy Christopoulos, who backstopped the team to its first-ever outdoor game victory with 34 saves?
Maybe veteran captain T.J. Hensick or one of the other familiar guys on the roster like Brett Boeing?
The winner's name is called. Golden ticket exchanged, they step up to the mic and without hesitation, declare their choice: Mitchell Heard.
In less than a month since signing on Dec. 9, 2021, Heard had become the favorite of at least one Walleye fan.
Less than 20 games later, you'd be hard-pressed to find a Walleye fan who doesn't love him.
The Walleye forward brings an energy to the Huntington Center that isn’t easy to replicate.
Mitchell Heard, 29, was picked in the 2012 NHL draft, 41st overall by the Colorado Avalanche. After graduating from playing junior hockey with the Plymouth Whalers in Michigan, he bounced around the ECHL and AHL for a few years before ending up in Germany's top-tier hockey league.
He started this year playing in Germany for the fourth straight season, but when he came back stateside, Dan Watson quickly signed the veteran forward.
On Sunday, Heard was able to bring the crowd to their feet with a fight late in the second period against the Indy Fuel. It wasn't his first but it was certainly one of his most explosive fights yet in a Walleye uniform.
Toledo netminder Max Milosek was knocked to the ice in a collision during the waning moments of the second period. A scrum ensued between several players and Fuel forward Keegan Iverson flew in to challenge Heard.
Heard made quick work of the fight, dispatching Iverson with ease before skating to the penalty box with a little bit of showmanship along the way.
And, as the old saying goes: the crowd went wild.
“It’s incredible, I get shivers talking about it,” Heard said when asked about the Toledo crowds. “I can’t really explain it. It motivates you to do better. Hearing them scream just makes it that much better when you win.”
And win they did.
After an ugly 7-2 loss to Wheeling the night before, Toledo bounced back and toppled Indy 5-1 with a barrage of goals with just over a minute left in the game.
The Walleye are notorious for having one of the hardest arenas to play in when you're on the opposite side of the ice and Heard already knows the Huntington Center well.
He spent time with the Fort Wayne Komets, skating for one of Toledo's biggest rivals during the 2014-15 campaign, which saw the Komets eliminated in seven games by the Walleye in the North Division Finals of the Kelly Cup playoffs.
Now, he's playing for the good guys and fighting for them, too, with at least three bouts in the past month and a respectable 35 penalty minutes in 19 games played.
“It sparks the crowd, it sparks the bench,” head coach Dan Watson said. “It creates energy, it creates positivity, guys grow an extra inch when that happens and it provides a spark.”
But Heard isn’t just a fighter. He’s got plenty of talent as well. He isn't afraid to drops the mitts, but when he keeps them on he's just as productive.
Since joining the Walleye, Heard has tallied three goals and 11 assists. On an unpredictable roster that's had its share of call-ups, Heard's brought a bit of everything during a time when Watson's cupboards were starting to look a little bare.
“He plays without fear and it’s nice to have guys like that because you need those types of players in big moments when it’s time to block shots, you know he’s gonna be there to do the right things for the team and then he sticks up for people and that’s a great teammate,” Watson said.“That’s what we talk about is team toughness. It doesn’t have to be one guy. It seems to be him winning all the fights, but he’s there, he’s got everyone’s back and he’s great within the locker room.”
Now, the Walleye lead the league with 26 wins and are sitting comfortably in first at the top of the Central Division thanks to Heard and a few other key acquisitions, barely missing a stride as new additions and familiar faces stepped in and stepped up to bolster the team.
So far, the Walleye have collected 54 points; 10 points ahead and with one game in hand over Heard's old friends, the Komets.
