Both Andersson and Mangiapane have became key cogs in head coach Ryan Huska's lineup this season, playing big roles for the Pacific Division-leading Heat, who have a .680 winning percentage and a 16-7-2 record at the Christmas break.
Andersson is leading all Heat defencemen in scoring through the first half of the season, netting two goals and 16 points in 25 skates. His 14 assists ranks him third among all American Hockey League rookie blueliners as well.
"(Rasmus), he's has been pretty consistent with his effort," Huska assessed. "Once he figured out the pace has to be a little bit higher at the pro level, his game has come along as well. Now, he's a little bit more comfortable, confident, jumping into the play. He's putting points on the board for a young defenceman."
In 24 games this season, Mangiapane has scored seven goals and 20 points, which places him second in team scoring. Like Andersson, he has been logging plenty of minutes and has become a staple on the Heat's power play.
"With Andrew in particular, he's playing on our top line with Linden (Vey) - when Linden's healthy - and Matt Frattin. He fits right in," noted Huska. "He's got that quiet confidence about him. But the thing that we love about him is that he's a competitive guy.
"He's one of those guys that you pull for because he works so hard and he wants to be an NHL player. We're looking forward to seeing him develop."
For Andersson, the transition from the OHL to the AHL has been relatively smooth. Of course there is a learning curve in regards to everyday habits but his time with the Malmo Redhawks in Sweden's Allsvenskan league in 2013-14 gave him a taste of that to expect when playing against men.
"You've just got to be prepared, every game and every practice. You just know that it's way higher paced here than in juniors. You've just got to be ready every practice, every game. I think that's my biggest adjustment.
"I've always been more comfortable playing pro hockey. Even back home, I played pro hockey before I played junior so personally I really enjoy playing pro hockey."
On Mangiapane's end, he is admittedly still in the feeling-out stages when it comes to acclimatizing to the professional game.
In the OHL, he was one of the league's most dominant scorers. In his final two regular seasons with Barrie, he scored 94 goals and 210 points. Offence came easily to the winger.
In the AHL, it is a constant challenge to produce while rounding out his defensive game.
"I've got to play with more confidence in my game and just play my game," he acknowledged. "I still feel I'm a little bit nervous out there but I think that's coming, game by game.
"My goal is be hard on the puck. I'm small but I've got to use my strength."
Given how the first half of the season has gone for the pair, the Heat will be leaning on Andersson and Mangiapane in their post-Christmas push to widen the gap between themselves and their divisional rivals.
"Both are really good players," Huska said. "We rely on both of them a lot.
"Both young kids have been really important for us."
