Buffalo Sabres first-round pick Konsta Helenius makes a good impression

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — You only get one chance to make an impression and Buffalo Sabres forward Konsta Helenius made the most of it. Helenius shined on the final day of the Sabres’ development camp Thursday in the 3-on-3 tournament. It’s been an eventful week and a half for the 18-year-old, but he’s making the most of it.

“A fun week with a lot of great players,” Helenius said after development camp ended. “It was fun to be on the ice with the other players.”

Helenius was the best player of the day in the first game of the tournament, sealing the victory with a nice play in the shootout. Helenius helped his team (Team Perreault) win every game played on Thursday and take home the French Connection Prospects Tournament trophy.

“I think I did a good job,” Helenius said. “It was a little different playing with the men in Finland, but I like it.”

“You can see his talent,” Rochester Americans head coach Michael Leone said. “You know, he’s playing with guys from the Finnish pro league and he had a really good day today. I thought about the days I’ve seen him play, he was really good today.”

Helenius will now return home after a nine-day stint in which he traveled from his hometown in Finland to Las Vegas and then Buffalo. He will work with a trainer this summer as he prepares for training camp.

2024 third-round pick Brodie Ziemer also had a solid performance in the tournament, capping off a solid week for the 18-year-old Minnesota native.

“Yeah, it was awesome,” Ziemer said. “That 3-on-3 tournament was awesome and obviously the fan support was really special and the crowd was packed, which made the game even better.”

Tickets to Thursday’s tournament were free and more than 1,200 fans showed up to watch the Sabres play. A total of 29 players participated in the four-day development camp at LECOM HARBORCENTER.