In case you haven’t heard, Sabres prospect Konsta Helenius just received a strong honor, being named to the AHL’s 2024-25 All-Prospects Team. While some may’ve expected the first-round pick to earn such praise, what’s amazing here is that Helenius was the league’s youngest player who snagged regular ice time in North America’s second-tier pro league.
That’s huge, and it showed us that Helenius had no trouble learning the North American game after he put up respectable numbers in Liiga in 2023-24. Helenius appeared in 65 regular season games with the Amerks, putting up 14 goals and 35 points. He tacked on another six points and three goals throughout eight playoff games to round out his rookie season.
It’s no secret Helenius, who I thought would’ve been long gone by the time the Sabres picked last season, will make his NHL debut at some point next season. While he’s likely a year away from joining the Blue and Gold full-time, expect him to be one of the ‘next men up’ should an injury force a recall.
Konsta Helenius will be worth watching when camp rolls around in September
It may seem like a long way off, but training camp is roughly 100 days away if even that long. And, with so many rumors circulating about Alex Tuch and JJ Peterka, there may be openings in the lineup, allowing Helenius to compete for a spot.
This is, of course, assuming the Sabres don’t fill those positions with seasoned veterans. But even then, they’ll give Helenius a measuring stick.
If Helenius can stick around camp until the last round of cuts before the Sabres reassign him to the Amerks, you can get excited about the 19-year-old, and that, despite all the turmoil in the organization, the Blue and Gold could’ve landed a ringer.
Yes, it requires cautious optimism, especially if the Sabres pawn off Peterka. Here, you had a player who put up 68 points this season end up going elsewhere the moment he broke out. What’s not to say the same thing happens with Helenius a few years down the road?
And why stop there? Dylan Cozens looked like a brewing star, but he fizzled out. Jack Eichel and Sam Reinhart were good players for the Sabres, only to win Stanley Cups elsewhere. We can go on and on here. But, at some point, history stops repeating itself.
No guarantees Konsta Helenius goes the same way as other Sabres players
Yeah, some pro teams at hockey’s highest level act as a glorified ‘farm system’ for other organizations. That will become clearer if Tuch, Peterka, and defenseman Bowen Byram are wearing different uniforms.
But it doesn’t mean it needs to be the case with Helenius. Maybe he’s another Tage Thompson or Rasmus Dahlin? Players more likely to stick around.
That said, Helenius looks like he’s on the verge of a breakout at the AHL level, and it won’t be long until he’s a full-time NHLer, presumably with the Sabres. And even if things don’t end well in the Tuch, Peterka, and Byram camps, we don’t need to automatically think Helenius will emerge, evolve, break out, then go elsewhere.
So, he might just be the Sabres next great prospect, and one who could stick around longer than a few others have.
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