When the Buffalo Sabres needed a spark in their second-round playoff series against the Montreal Canadiens, they called on prized prospect Konsta Helenius, who delivered two goals in four games and was frequently the team's most dangerous offensive player.
Helenius was the No. 14 overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft. The 20-year-old Finland native dominated the AHL ranks, highlighted by 63 points (21 goals and 42 assists) in 63 games this past season, and he's more than held his own in 13 appearances with the Sabres.
Yet, despite his prospect pedigree and impressive production, he's yet to garner much attention in terms of being an elite NHL prospect.
That lack of respect, at least outside Western New York, continued Tuesday when Scott Wheeler of The Athletic ranked Helenius at No. 42 in his summer ranking of the league's top 100 prospects.
"Helenius has been one of Finland's top young players and is going to have a long NHL career," Wheeler wrote. "Some things in his profile do give pause about a true top-six projection, and he may end up as more of a middle-six type, but his track record looks like that of a top-six player and he started to show it more in North America and at men's worlds."
It's hard (impossible?) to believe there are 41 young players in NHL farm systems with more potential than Helenius based on his performance over the past 12 months.
Not only did he deliver consistently strong play for the Rochester Americans, with whom he was often a one-man offensive band because of Amerks injuries and Buffalo recalls, and the Sabres, but he was fantastic for Suomi at the 2026 IIHF World Championships.
Helenius was added to Finland's roster after the Sabres were eliminated from the playoffs by the Habs, and he instantly joined the Lions' top line. He scored six points in six tournament games, including the Gold Medal-winning overtime goal in the championship game vs. Switzerland.
Development is rarely a linear path, but everything the 5-foot-11 forward has put on tape since the start of last season screams NHL superstar. Although reaching that level may a few more years, he looks like a future point-per-game player at hockey's top level.
Helenius is projected to spend the 2026-27 campaign in Buffalo, so he'll graduate from most prospect rankings before next summer. The fact he's never been viewed as a top-10 prospect doesn't make much sense, and putting him closer to No. 50 doesn't pass the eye test.
Don't be surprised if he ends up as a serious Calder Trophy candidate by season's end.
Analyzing the other Buffalo Sabres players on The Athletic's top 100 prospects list
Wheeler selected three other members of the Sabres organization for his 2026 summer rankings:
- Defenseman Daxon Rudolph (No. 12)
- Defenseman Radim Mrtka (No. 54)
- Forward Noah Ostlund (No. 55)
Buffalo recently selected Rudolph with the No. 4 overall pick in the 2026 NHL Draft. It's a selection they obtained when trading Bowen Byram to the Chicago Blackhawks after it became clear the veteran blueliner wasn't interested in a long-term contract extension with the Blue and Gold.
Rudolph is a terrific puck-carrying defender with the ability to eventually serve as the Sabres' second power-play quarterback behind Rasmus Dahlin. His play at the University of Denver this season will showcase how close he is to NHL readiness.
Mrtka didn't take the significant step forward offensively the Sabres were hoping for after they picked him with the ninth choice in the 2025 draft. He scored just one goal in 43 games for the WHL's Seattle Thunderbirds, though he did rack up 33 assists.
The 6-foot-6 defenseman continued to make his presence felt as a defensive stopper and physical presence, though. His long-term outlook may be moving more toward a second-pair option rather than a top-pair roster cornerstone, though.
Ostlund is a tricky evaluation because his offensive impact, at least in terms of pure point production, doesn't match up with the sport's elite prospects. That said, he's a do-it-all forward with a well-rounded skill set, and the Sabres were always better when he was on the ice last season.
He'll be a valuable middle-six player for a long time, even if he doesn't accumulate a bunch of accolades along the way.
Meanwhile, there aren't any glaring Sabres omissions from Wheeler's list, but one player who could play his way into the rankings before next year is center Ilia Morozov, the franchise's second first-round pick (No. 20 overall) in the 2026 draft.
Morozov already possesses an NHL frame (6'3'', 205 pounds) and held his own against older competition as the youngest player in college hockey last season. The 17-year-old Russian posted 20 points (eight goals and 12 assists) in 36 contests for Miami (Ohio), and should play a larger role for the RedHawks starting in the fall.
As a whole, the Sabres prospect pool is in a far better place now than it was two or three years ago, and that's one of the main reasons the organization is laying the foundation for sustained success.
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