The Sabres decide to select Finnish forward Konsta Helenius with their 14th pick even as trade rumors circulated
After the Buffalo Sabres traded down from 11th to 14th to gain an additional second round pick yesterday, there was a thought that General Manager Kevyn Adams would swing for the fences by trading away the pick for a player who could help the team now.
With how important it is to break the 13-year playoff drought, it appears Adams tried to trade away that 14th pick but was unable to get a deal he wanted. Lindy Ruff announced the pick, gushing about sharing the same stage with Celine Dion (who announced the Montreal pick), with the Sabres selecting Konsta Helenius, center from Jukurit in Finland.
NHL Central Scouting ranking: No. 3 (International skaters)
The 18-year-old right-handed shot (5-11, 189) had 36 points (14 goals, 22 assists) and five power-play goals, won 50.2 percent of his face-offs and averaged 16:57 of ice time in 51 games for Jukurit in Liiga, Finland’s top professional men’s league. He had the most points by an under-19 player in Liiga this season. Helenius had two points (one goal, one assist) and 13 shots on goal in seven games for fourth-place Finland at the 2024 IIHF World Junior Championship, averaging 19:12 of ice time in a second-line role. He was the youngest player (17 years old) at the 2024 IIHF World Championship, where he centered Finland’s top line with Mikael Granlund (San Jose Sharks) and Valtteri Puustinen (Pittsburgh Penguins). He’s been compared by some scouts to Tampa Bay Lightning forward Brayden Point.
“He’s a complete hockey player, a coach’s dream in many cases, because you can trust him in several situations,” said Jukka-Pekka Vuorinen, NHL director of European Scouting.