Prospect Info: Konsta Helenius, RC, Jukurit (Liiga) - 14th Overall, 2024

[Chainshot]

I like this pick, its who I would have took if we drafted.



Because he didn't draft Bloom

Adams was GM when they selected Bloom in 2021.

 

[Sabre the Win]

Adams was GM when they selected Bloom in 2021.

Oh, for some reason I was thinking he was Botterills

 

[rams]

Konsta Helenius

LOVE this pick.

 

[buffalowing88]

I like this pick, its who I would have took if we drafted.



Because he didn't draft Bloom

And I understand liking it but it's just more of the waiting game...

Evidently not. That's all I've heard all year.

I think Ostlund is. Helenius has only been in the org for an hour, so he probably still is.

It's tough to follow.

Kulich is the only one I watched pretty religiously after seeing him in person. I would like him to be a center, but maybe you're right. He seemed to work with open ice and set guys up better than anyone when he was "on" for Rochester.

 

[Dubi Doo]

Another undersized forward prospect, hurrah

Yeah. We're all still steaming about the Benson pick

 

[Gabrielor]

And I understand liking it but it's just more of the waiting game...

Kulich is the only one I watched pretty religiously after seeing him in person. I would like him to be a center, but maybe you're right. He seemed to work with open ice and set guys up better than anyone when he was "on" for Rochester.

That was me being sarcastic on projecting centers to be non-centers levels up.

Kulich played center all year and had good moments.

Savoie played center all year and was excellent (but jr, I'm sure they'll say).

Ostlund is the one I've seen the least, but him being center is never in question. He was born in the center of a hockey rink.

Helenius certainly looks like a natural center.

I think we have 4 now, so I'm ready for trade talks. I was ready at 3 too.

 

[ValJamesDuex]

Adams bullet points on Helenius post 1st round presser

Edited: One player they liked at 11 that ended up not being there and would of stung if they stayed there (Catton or Ykemchuck you think ? @Old Navy Goat ?, a group of players they liked at 14 and Helenius was one

3 or 4 calls while on the clock to move down again, but did not want to miss Helenius

Adams knows Oli well, talked to Sabres a lot to Sabres guys about Helenius, work ethic, etc

Stronger and more physically prepared than Ostlund was

 

[Chainshot]

It's hard to gauge what to expect with Ruff so far. If he's thinking of a third-line that is entirely about shutting down the top-line of the opponent, I am all ears. Ostlund would be the center of that line ideally.

It's not likely that Helenius is one of the guys on one of those checking lines in the near term of Ruff's return.

 

[HOOats]

He was probably a stud on Ventura's metrics with his age adjusted stuff and ice-tilting effects as a kid against men.

Going back through his Prospect Board thread from page 1:

His D-1 outscored Slafkovsky and Lambert's D0 in Liiga.
6th youngest goal scorer in Liiga history behind Barkov, Saarela, Rantanen, Puljujarvi & K. Kapanen
Some think this is one of the better Finnish classes in the past decade
Struggled to settle in internationally, from u18 to WHC (youngest WHC Finn)
Many think he should go CHL/AHL/SHL this upcoming season (doesn't have CHL rights afaik)
Carried Jukurit at times, elevated in playoffs
Olli Jokinen was a key figure in his development for two seasons (and sounds like a promising HC prospect, moving on to SHL this year)
"If anyone is going to have a Zach Benson-like 18 year old season in the NHL from the 2024 draft, I’d bet on Helenius" "He looks like he could step right into a third line role"
Played 90 games last year!

 

[Chainshot]

 

[Jim Bob]

https://x.com/i/web/status/1806858365865496666

https://x.com/i/web/status/1806892005089575259

 

[Jim Bob]

https://x.com/i/web/status/1806886135827976395

 

[Paxon]

Another undersized forward prospect, hurrah

Isn't NHL average like 6'0" 200?

That was me being sarcastic on projecting centers to be non-centers levels up.

Kulich played center all year and had good moments.

Savoie played center all year and was excellent (but jr, I'm sure they'll say).

Ostlund is the one I've seen the least, but him being center is never in question. He was born in the center of a hockey rink.

Helenius certainly looks like a natural center.

I think we have 4 now, so I'm ready for trade talks. I was ready at 3 too.

You don't have to trade centers because you have 4 possible center prospects. Some forward needs to be traded from the pool but the center part is irrelevant.

 

[HOOats]

Definitely has some personality. Him, Kulich, and Benson all have some Loki in them. Tricksters.

Too hot in Vegas, our kind of guy.

"Know anything about the Sabres?" "I know they have players and coach and something"

Between the Joki locker room sword handoffs and Konsta's smile here, it seems like Finns love saying "Ukko-Pekka Lukkonen." I've heard that it's a unique name in Finnish, would love to know what the deal is from a native speaker @HaNotsri

 

[Jim Bob]

https://x.com/i/web/status/1806864103870443585

 

[ValJamesDuex]

https://x.com/i/web/status/1806853427294515661

 

[Asymmetric Solution]

Now the Finnish fans will be forced to root for Dahlin.

 

[Club]

Undersized? Like there is a huge difference between 5'11 & 6' lol

Happy with the pick reading up on him.

 

[Gras]

Undersized? Like there is a huge difference between 5'11 & 6' lol

Happy with the pick reading up on him.

Tell that to a modern woman.

 

[ValJamesDuex]

NHL.com analysis: Olli Jokinen, Helenius' coach the past two seasons, said Helenius is in the "top three percent of the players talent-wise," and could envision him playing in the NHL as soon as next season. Helenius already has excelled against older, more physically developed players in Liiga and at the World Championship, and has said being in the NHL is his offseason focus. Whether he's in the Sabres lineup in October or not, he projects to be a 200-foot center who can be a fantastic playmaker for some of the emerging young wings they've drafted, including Matt Savoie, Jiri Kulich and Zach Benson.
Adam Kimelman Deputy Managing Editor

ESPN​

14. Buffalo Sabres​

Konsta Helenius, C​

Team: Jukurit (FINLAND) | Rank: 12
DOB: 05/11/06 | Ht: 5-10.75 | Wt: 180 | Shot: R
2023-24 stats: GP: 51 | G: 14 | A: 22 | P: 36

Scouting notes: Helenius is excellent defensively, and his play is immediately projectable to the NHL. Offensively, he is effective, not flashy. He retrieves pucks, enters the zone with possession, creates space with effective body positioning, and relies on his elite hockey sense to make sound decisions with the puck. The combination of his competitiveness, hockey sense and puck management make him a highly effective and reliable player in all three zones.

He lacks dynamic attributes that other players in the draft class possess, but he makes up for that his in his ability to be the engine of his line. He consistently drives play and showed flashes of offensive creativity, but Helenius does not have a standout offensive attribute. He's a well-rounded, 200-foot player who will be impactful on both sides of the puck at the NHL level. Scouts see some Mikael Backlund in him, which is high praise for the young Finn.

A second-line center/top penalty killer who can drive play at even strength is something every contender needs. That is Helenius. If his offense develops, there's a chance he fits the mold of a Joel Eriksson Ek or Elias Lindholm type of player. -- Doerrie

Team fit: The Sabres traded down this week, acquiring the Devils' No. 42 overall pick in their flip-flop with the Sharks. Helenius is a solid two-way center who joins a depth chart that includes Tage Thompson, Dylan Cozens, Peyton Krebs, Matthew Savoie, Jiri Kulich and Noah Ostlund.

Obviously, some of them could shift to the wing, but the bottom line is that the Sabres have a ton of talent on the way up front, to go along with the foundational defensemen in Rasmus Dahlin and Owen Power. -- Wyshynski

 

[Ace]

Ostlund is the only other, imo, surefire center in the system among top end prospects. The only right shot who might even be a center but is definitely a wing in the NHL is Savoie. You can hate not trading the pick. That’s understandable and fine. But any digs player they got is misguided imo.

My targets are usually high compete, high IQ guys. Those are his strengths. They arent Benson level…but I can count on one or two hands the number of guys I’ve seen that are. But they are very high. He’s a better skater than Benson. He has good skill. He has a defensive commitment that already makes a difference against men. He’s safe in the way that he has no holes in his game. And guys with high compete and IQ are the ones who reach their potential and keep finding ways to improve.

 

[EichHart]

Ostlund is the only other, imo, surefire center in the system among top end prospects. The only right shot who might even be a center but is definitely a wing in the NHL is Savoie. You can hate not trading the pick. That’s understandable and fine. But any digs player they got is misguided imo.

My targets are usually high compete, high IQ guys. Those are his strengths. They arent Benson level…but I can count on one or two hands the number of guys I’ve seen that are. But they are very high. He’s a better skater than Benson. He has good skill. He has a defensive commitment that already makes a difference against men. He’s safe in the way that he has no holes in his game. And guys with high compete and IQ are the ones who reach their potential and keep finding ways to improve.

Comparable to Lundell?

 

[Selanne00008]

There is a future where Helenius and Benson are 2/3rds of an elite match-up line with the skill to bury big ones.

Miss me with his size. He's already 190. Just because someone isn't 6'4 doesn't mean they don't play hard and are hard to play against. It's been one year since Benson proved that at 18

Also, he's measured at 5'11" and he JUSt turned 18 in May. I went away for college, came back for the summer and had grown another 2 inches.

He could easily end up 6' or 6'1" 210.

 

[Ace]

Comparable to Lundell?

I see it. Commitment to details in all zones. Both very smart. I think Helenius is a more anticipatory offensive player. Lundell had more physical gifts. They both had high floors.

 

[HaNotsri]

Definitely has some personality. Him, Kulich, and Benson all have some Loki in them. Tricksters.

Too hot in Vegas, our kind of guy.

"Know anything about the Sabres?" "I know they have players and coach and something"

Between the Joki locker room sword handoffs and Konsta's smile here, it seems like Finns love saying "Ukko-Pekka Lukkonen." I've heard that it's a unique name in Finnish, would love to know what the deal is from a native speaker @HaNotsri

Sadly we rejected Finland when they wanted to rejoin our great union (probably because we were scared of the consequences of the new border).

But since you asked I often beat box Ukko-Pekka-Ukko-Pekka and it sounds like a synth pop arpeggio. Finnish italodisco is also really trendy in sweden now.

But the best thing about his name is that you can use it as an anagram to write swedens funniest swear word no less than three times!

Explanation of the name
If I understand correctly the name Pekka was seen as vulgar in western finland and Swedish speaking parts. Swedish version would be Peter or Per. But a president called
Per Evind Svinhufvud (last name meaning Hogs-head, swinehead) got the nickname Ukko-Pekka which means "ol' man Pekka" which popularized the name nationwide.

I'm guessing here but I think Ukko has a funnier connotation than "the old man" and is similar to swedish gubben which is a hilarious word in itself. Gramps is probably closer, Gramps-Pekka Luukkonen.
No wonder Helenius thinks it's funny to say during a press conference.