One player who Buffalo Sabres fans will be watching closely in the Prospect Challenge will be forward Konsta Helenius. He was the 14th overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft and wasted no time getting to North America as he played in the AHL last season.
That is certainly no easy task, especially for an 18-year-old, and Helenius even acknowledged that fact this week in how tough it was, according to Paul Hamilton with WGR550:
""It wasn’t easy. It’s a much different game here than back in Europe. Smaller ice, and you have less time. It wasn’t easy," said Helenius on Wednesday. "But during the season, we worked on that and tried to do different things. So it was much easier by the end of the season.""
That work he put in during the season was evident based on the stats and after 35 points in 65 regular season games, Helenius had six points in eight playoff games.
Konsta Helenius has impressed early in Buffalo Sabres camp
It is a small sample size but Mike Leone, who is the head coach of the Rochester Americans and will be coaching the Sabres in the Prospect Challenge, was very complimentary of Helenius this week. In the same article by Paul Hamilton, Leone is quoted as saying that Helenius "looks great, he looks quicker."
That was apparently a point of emphasis for Helenius, as he doesn't have as much time to make decisions on a smaller ice rink compared to a European hockey rink.
For what Helenius was able to do in his first season, even with the learning curve, and now these quotes from his coach, Sabres' fans have to be excited about Helenius' potential. However, his NHL debut might not be on the horizon as Buffalo has depth at the center position that gives the Sabres the luxury of letting him continue to develop.
Over the next three games, it will be interesting to watch how Helenius does and if he has been able to speed up his decision-making from shots to passes. If this does significantly improve, it wouldn't be surprising to see him lead the Amerks in points next season.