Konsta Helenius displays what made him Sabres' 2024 first-round pick

Buffalo, N.Y. (WGR Sports Radio 550) – The Buffalo Sabres took Konsta Helenius with their first pick (14th overall) in this year’s NHL Draft. He showed everyone in attendance for Sabres Development Camp this week what made him a first-round selection.

Helenius was far-and-away the best player in camp, including Thursday's 3-on-3 tournament, where he scored two goals and added a nifty shootout game-winner to lead Team Perreault to the championship.

Stiven Sardarian was the Sabres' third-round pick in 2021, and also played well with Team Perreault, scoring four goals.

The other prospects on the winning team were:

- G - Topias Leinonen (2022 second-round pick)
- D - Gavin McCarthy (2023 third-round pick)
- D - Luke Osburn (2022 fourth-round pick)
- RW - Olivier Nadeau (2021 fourth-round pick)
- RW - Jake Richard (2022 sixth-round pick)
- C - Gustav Karlsson (2022 sixth-round pick)
- RW - Ryan Smith (Development camp invitee)

Helenius set the tone as soon as he stepped on the ice, putting a great move in his first shift to get in on goal. His team was tied at the end of regulation time, and he put a gorgeous move on goalie Scott Ratzlaff, who was the best goalie of the three to win it.

Rochester Americans head coach Mike Leone was there for the final two days after his wife gave birth. He was very impressed with this year’s 14th overall pick.

"He has poise with the puck. His deception, he’s got a low center of gravity, he makes a lot of plays. He had a really good day," said Leone following Thursday's 3-on-3 tournament. "It’s good to be around him. I had dinner with him last night with our group, but you could see the skill set, because he’s played with men in the Finnish Pro League. I thought he was really good today."

There’s a chance Helenius could be signed and wind up in Rochester with Leone this season. Despite only being 18, he looks like one of the few players that could handle the AHL at such a young age.

Helenius has been playing against men for two years in Finland, so it was quite a bit different this week competing against players his own age, or maybe a year older. He thought he compared very well with them.

"I did a great job," said Helenius on Thursday. "It was a little bit different after playing in the men’s league In Finland, but I liked it. I was a little bit more offensive."

Helenius might take a week or so off, and then he’ll get back to training. He says he has goals to accomplish.

"I’ll try to improve everything. I want to be faster and stronger. I have my own trainer in a small group," Helenius detailed.

Ratzlaff was the Sabres' fifth-round pick in the 2023 NHL Draft, and was, by far, the best goalie in camp. During the 3-on-3 tournament, he made, at least, four saves on clear-cut breakaways.

Sardarian was a bit of a surprise to me. He was all over the ice and scored four goals with, at least, one very pretty assist to Helenius in his three games.

The Russian winger transferred out of the University of New Hampshire after two seasons to get more ice-time. He decommitted from Northern Michigan University because the coaches left the program.

Sardarian said Wednesday he should have a new team in the next week or two.

If one other player impressed me from Monday all the way to Thursday, it was this year’s third-round pick Brodie Ziemer.

Ziemer was the captain of the U.S. National Team Development Program, and is heading for the University of Minnesota in the fall. His shot is elite, and he showed it by scoring quite a few goals during drills.

He seems to have good moves, and looks like a good offensive talent. The 18-year-old says he’s thinking he may want to spend three years with the Golden Gophers, but hoped to be able to talk to Sabres defenseman Ryan Johnson, who played all four years in Minnesota before signing with the Sabres.

One other player that filled the net for Team Robert was 2023 fourth-round pick Ethan Miedema. This past year, he played in the OHL with the Kingston Frontenacs, scoring 18 goals and 23 assists for 41 points in 68 games.