Sabres keep 1st, draft Finnish center Konsta Helenius at No. 14

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — Kevyn Adams was shown working the phones on the draft floor Friday night at the Las Vegas Sphere. But after trading down a few spots beforehand, the Sabres general manager held on to the team’s first-round selection and drafted Finnish center Konsta Helenius at No. 14 overall.

Buffalo coach Lindy Ruff announced the draft choice, joined on stage by team owner Terry Pegula, general manger Kevyn Adams, and assistant GM Jerry Forton.

Ranked as the third-best international skater by NHL Central Scouting Services, the 5-foot-11, 189 pound Helenius is a “reliable, solid player with a great set of tools,” according to the scouting report. “Plays a mature game and does not shy away from the physical side of the game despite his size. A unique skater who always seems to be in the right spot at the right time. Excellent understanding of the game. His playmaking and passing game are outstanding. He is only 17 but is already a key player on his team playing professionally in Finland. Played first or second line center for Finland at the World Junior Championship showing his talent against 19-year-old opponents.”

Helenius, who turned 18 in May, represented Finland at both the world championships and world juniors in 2024. He had an assist and a plus-2 rating in four games as the youngest player in the world championships tournament. Helenius tallied 17 goals and 30 assists in 84 games playing for his Liiga club over the past two seasons. His 47 points are the second-most by a player under the age of 18 in league history after Aleksandr Barkov, captain of the Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers.

“It was good for me to play against men because I like to battle hard,” Helenius said, “and I’m not the biggest guy, but I think I’m a very strong guy.”

Playing for Jukurit in Liiga under the guidance of coach Olli Jokinen, a veteran 1,231 NHL games, helped Helenius develop the mindset to be a two-way player.

“He said before every game that you need the defense first and then you get the puck and you can do whatever you want,” Jukurit said.

Helenius is considered closer to being NHL ready than his age would suggest. Last year’s first-round pick Zach Benson played a full season in the NHL as an 18-year-old. Adams left open the possibility Helenius could do the same, even if the Sabres no longer desire to have the youngest lineup in the league.

“This is a player (Helenius) we have really high expectations for we think is closer rather than further away,” Adams said. ““He’s a very competitive player that’s got a skill set that we think will translate really well to the National Hockey League. You never know the timeline when a player like this will be ready to help you, but when you have the experience that he’s gained through the men’s league, through the world championships, that certainly expedites things.”

The 20th first-round draft choice the Sabres have made over the past 14 years, and 14th selected among the top 14 picks, Helenius is the eighth player in team history drafted No. 14 overall. The others are Isak Rosen (2019), Zemgus Girgensons (2012), Bady May (1990), Kevin Haller (1989), Calle Johansson (1985), Jay McKee (1995) and Ric Seiling (1977).

After trading down from the No. 11 spot and picking up an additional second-round draft pick before the draft, Adams explored opportunities to trade draft assets for an established player who could improve the NHL roster in the short term. But a deal never materialized. As Adams noted, no NHL players were trade on the first night of the draft.

“That’s just the way these things go,” Adams said. “But that’s why you still do the work and make sure you’re prepared with your list. But we’re going to do everything we can to make our roster better. That was what I was making clear to teams around the league. We were open to anything.”

Buffalo did receiver offers to drop further in the first round Friday night. But drafting a player they had ranked in the top 10 was too tempting to make another move.

“We didn’t feel that moving down made sense with Konsta on the board,” Adams said. “That was the guy we wanted.”

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Jonah Bronstein joined the WIVB squad in 2022 as a digital sports reporter. The Buffalonian has covered the Bills, Sabres, Bandits, Bisons, colleges, high schools and other notable sporting events in Western New York since 2005, for publications including The Associated Press, The Buffalo News, and Niagara Gazette. Read more of his work here .