It’s that time of the year for The Win Column’s NHL Draft Rankings and Draft Profiles! So far this week, we’ve looked at Cole Eiserman and Zeev Buium. The 2024 NHL Draft will take place on June 28 and 29 at The Sphere in Las Vegas.
Up next in our rankings is Konsta Helenius. NHL Central Scouting’s mid-season rankings had Helenius as the number one European player, ahead of the likes of Ivan Demidov and Anton Silayev. Overall, most rankings have him in the later end of the top 10. Helenius is a well-rounded player with a high hockey IQ, but he lacks that dynamic skill that would make him a top pick.
Who is Konsta Helenius?
| PLAYER | POSITION | HANDEDNESS | HEIGHT | WEIGHT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Konsta Helenius | C/RW | R | 5’11” | 181 lbs |
Helenius was born in Ylöjärvi, Finland, and has played all of his hockey in Finland. He spent the majority of his D-1 season on loan with Jukurit in the Liiga—Finland’s top professional league—before playing his entire draft year on loan with Jukurit this season.
Helenius’ on-ice production
| YEAR | DRAFT RELATIVE | LEAGUE | TEAM | GP | G | A | P |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020–21 | D-3 | U16 SM-sarja | Tappara U16 | 22 | 20 | 37 | 57 |
| 2021–22 | D-2 | U18 SM-sarja | Tappara U18 | 33 | 14 | 31 | 45 |
| International-Jr | Finland U16 (all) | 8 | 9 | 3 | 12 | ||
| 2022–23 | D-1 | U20 SM-sarja | Tappara U20 | 19 | 8 | 20 | 28 |
| Liiga | Jukurit | 33 | 3 | 8 | 11 | ||
| WHC-17 | Finland U17 | 7 | 2 | 9 | 11 | ||
| International-Jr | Finland U17 (all) | 10 | 2 | 11 | 13 | ||
| WJC-18 | Finland U18 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 6 | ||
| International-Jr | Finland U18 (all) | 11 | 3 | 11 | 14 | ||
| 2023–24 | D+0 | Liiga | Jukurit | 51 | 14 | 22 | 36 |
| WJC-20 | Finland U20 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||
| International-Jr | Finland U20 (all) | 13 | 3 | 8 | 11 |
In his D-2 season, Helenius excelled in the Finnish U18 for Tappara, scoring 14 goals and 45 points in 33 games. In his D-1 season in the Finnish U20, Helenius continued his dominance to the tune of 28 points in 19 games for Tappara. He proved he was ready to play with the best Finland has to offer and was loaned to Jukurit of the Liiga.
He impressed in his D-2 in the Liiga, scoring three goals and 11 points in 33 games. This season, Helenius continued his impressive rise in the Liiga by scoring 14 goals and 36 points in 51 games as a 17-year-old. His 36 points are the fourth-highest total by a player of his age in Liiga history, behind only Aleksander Barkov (48 in 2012–13), Mikael Granlund (40 in 2009–10), and Kaapo Kakko (38 in 2018–19).
Helenius’ strengths
Skating
Helenius combines a mechanically sound skating stride with excellent edgework and good speed. He uses his edges exceptionally well to deceive and evade opposing defenders. While he is not the fastest skater out there and lacks explosiveness, his motor is always churning. His skating mechanics and speed—combined with his motor—help him gain that extra bit of separation speed needed to get by defenders in the Liiga and are translatable to the NHL.
He’ll need to improve on his explosiveness and top speed to become a real difference-maker at the NHL level. Remember, though, that he’s 17 years old, 5’11”, and 181 pounds, so he’s still growing. As he continues to grow and fill out his frame, he’ll be able to naturally improve in both of these areas.
Hockey IQ
This is a skill you can’t teach, and Helenius has it. With and without the puck, his mind is always ahead of the play. Without the puck, you’ll see him find open space to create passing lanes for his teammates or even create an intentional pick by going out of his way to put himself between an opposing player and his teammate with the puck.
With the puck on his stick, he’s very good at shaking off opposing players despite his smaller stature. His ability to read the play helps him find teammates for passes, and he’s good at using deception to fake a shot and find an open teammate. His playmaking ability is definitely a strength in his game, and a big part of it comes from his high hockey IQ.
Defence and work ethic
Helenius is a strong two-way forward, and all of his previously mentioned strengths help contribute to this. His intelligence allows him to position himself well in the defensive zone to pick off passes and start the transition, while his skating and motor help him to cover 200 feet of ice easily.
Despite his size, he’s fearless on the ice. He battles in the tough areas and along the boards and is persistent in his efforts to retrieve the puck.
Shooting
Helenius has a good shot and isn’t shy about using it. Like other areas of his game, he is good at using deception in his shots. He scored 14 goals this season as a 17-year-old playing against full-grown men; this isn’t an easy feat. This goal highlights his skating, intelligence, and shooting abilities all in a 14-second clip:
Helenius’ areas of improvement
Dynamic ability and top speed
Nothing you’ll see from Helenius is flashy; he just plays the game the right way. If he can introduce that type of skill into his game, watch out. He’s already an incredibly smart, well-rounded player without much to dislike about his game. I already think that he’s going a bit under the radar—even though he’s projected inside the top 10-15—but if he were to start making flashy plays, he could easily be a steal of the draft in that range, much like Cole Caufield was when selected 15th overall by the Montreal Canadiens in 2019.
As I mentioned, Helenius is also not the fastest player and sometimes can’t quite separate himself from opponents as much as a player of his talent should be able to. With more growth and practice, this is something that should be easy to fix.
Helenius’ comparables
Countryman Sebastian Aho of the Carolina Hurricanes is a great comparable for what Helenius could become. Listed at 6’0” and 176 pounds, Aho is a similar size. Both are considered defensively responsible playmaking centres, both are great skaters while not necessarily being the fastest player out there, and both are incredibly intelligent.
Fit with the Flames
The Flames are in dire need of centres, and Helenius fits that bill. One thing their prospect pool currently lacks is intelligent high-ceiling players. They may have acquired one of those in defenceman Hunter Brzustewicz, but no one else really jumps off the page. This is another box that Helenius checks. If he reaches his full potential, Helenius could be the number-one centre the Flames have been in search of for what feels like forever.
Helenius’ strengths are easily translatable to the NHL, so, at the very least, he could become a top-six play-driving centre who can be relied on in all special teams situations. Either way, I think Helenius looks to be an excellent fit for the Flames.
Summary
What Helenius lacks in dynamic ability and top speed, he makes up for in all other areas of his game. He may be one of the most intelligent players in this draft class. He uses deception and quick cuts to shake off opposing defenders and always seems to be a step ahead of the play.
There’s no questioning he has talent offensively, as he improved from 0.33 points per game as a 16-year-old playing in the top Finnish league to 0.70 points per game as a 17-year-old. He really doesn’t get the credit he deserves for the impressive numbers he’s put up. These numbers are a result of his play-driving ability, exceptional playmaking skills, and his ability to shoot the puck.
There’s a lot to love about Helenius and—with the right development and support—he should at the very least become a top-six centre in the NHL.
Risk: 1/5
Reward: 4/5
Projection: Top-six two-way centre
Check out all of The Win Column’s individual player profiles of selected 2024 NHL Draft prospects:
Macklin Celebrini | Ivan Demidov | Artyom Levshunov | Sam Dickinson | Cayden Lindstrom | Berkly Catton | Cole Eiserman | Zeev Buium | Konsta Helenius | Zayne Parekh | Carter Yakemchuk | Anton Silayev | Tij Iginla | Adam Jiricek | Michael Brandsegg-Nygard | Liam Greentree | Igor Chernyshov | Trevor Connelly | Aron Kiviharju | Michael Hage | Ryder Ritchie | Sacha Boisvert | Nikita Artamonov | Maxim Masse | Cole Hutson | Beckett Sennecke | Dominik Badinka | Emil Hemming | Henry Mews | Terik Parascak | Alfons Freij | Charlie Elick | EJ Emery | John Mustard | Luka Misa | Tanner Howe | Lucas Pettersson | Matvei Gridin | Dean Letourneau | Leo Sahlin Wallenius | Jesse Pulkkinen | Cole Beaudoin | Kamil Bednarik | Jett Luchanko | Andrew Basha | Stian Solberg | Adam Jecho | Matvei Shuravin | Veeti Vaisanen
