Sabres select Helenius 14th overall | News, Sports, Jobs

Konsta Helenius, center, poses after being selected by the Buffalo Sabres in the first round of the NHL draft Friday in Las Vegas. AP Photo

VEGAS — Buffalo Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams was trying to turn back the clock when his team was set to pick in the 2024 NHL Draft Friday night, according to ESPN. However, Adams had to make the selection, and the Sabres got 5-foot-11, 181-pound Finnish center Konsta Helenius. This is another year the Sabres signed a highly regarded player who fell to their place.

Helenius played the entire season in Finland’s top men’s league for Jukurit and as a teenager he scored 36 points in 51 games, scoring 14 goals and making 22 assists. He is considered a two-way pivot who processes the game very quickly and makes the best decisions most of the time.

Finland has a reputation for producing defensively responsible players and the fact that Helenius is getting full playing time in Liiga is a testament to that aspect of his game. However, that doesn’t mean he doesn’t display top-notch puck skills, with an underrated snap shot and, when he’s not shooting the puck himself, the ability to shield it long enough before handing it off to a teammate.

Despite being selected 14th overall, Buffalo finds itself in another situation where the first-round pick is close to being ready for NHL duty. Originally from Finland, Helenius is still under contract with his Finnish club Tappara having been loaned to Jukurit last year, but it would not be surprising to see him sign early and perhaps join the Rochester Americans in the spring next in the AHL.

At the start of the year, Helenius was considered a top-three pick in this draft, but for reasons beyond his control, he was chosen by Buffalo at 14th overall. Some scouts project him as the No. 1 pick in the NHL, but in Buffalo there won’t be that immediate pressure since Tage Thompson and Dylan Cozens are on long-term contracts and Noah Ostlund is two years ahead on the development path .