The Sabres’ scouts watched closely as Helenius appeared in almost 90 games between pro hockey and international tournaments. He impressed them with his intelligence, competitiveness and tenacity. Helenius is not the biggest player in this draft, but he was a menace on the forecheck and relishes the opportunity to check an opponent.
Helenius’ defensive habits mirror those shown by Jokinen throughout the coach’s 17-year career in the NHL. The latter reminded his pupil throughout the season that every detail matters, from stick positioning to finishing checks.
Scouts consider Helenius to be among the first-round prospects closest to helping in the NHL and, despite the urgency for Buffalo to snap a 13-year playoff drought, it’s conceivable that he’ll have the opportunity to earn a spot on coach Lindy Ruff’s roster.
“He’s a player that could be (in Finland), he could be in Buffalo, Rochester,” Sabres General Manager Kevyn Adams said. “Really, anything’s on the table. So obviously, it’s only been a little bit of time here since our pick was announced but certainly something we’ll get into right away with his agent and start that conversation. … We want to hear what the player has to say and the agent in terms of what they feel is the best for his development, but this is a player we’d like to get over here as fast as possible.”
There was angst among Adams and the Sabres scouts as they watched the draft unfold Friday night. They were nervous that a player they coveted may fall to the 11th pick, which they traded to the San Jose Sharks on Thursday to add a second-round selection. Once that unnamed player was selected in the top 10, though, Adams watched as the Sharks selected London Knights defenseman Sam Dickinson, then the Minnesota Wild traded up to No. 12 to take University of Denver defenseman Zeev Buium, whom some analysts thought could be taken as high as third overall.
Adams’ phone started to ring. He estimated that three or four teams called to try to acquire the No. 14 pick, but none of the deals made sense. Why trade back again and risk missing out on Helenius, who the Sabres had rated as a top-10 prospect in the class? The Philadelphia Flyers took a physical winger, Jett Luchanko, before the Sabres were on the clock. They didn’t take long to walk to the stage, where Ruff announced Helenius, who can help fill the void created by Buffalo trading Casey Mittelstadt to the Colorado Avalanche for defenseman Bowen Byram.
Noah Ostlund was arguably the best center prospect in the Sabres’ pipeline before they selected Helenius. Matt Savoie, their top choice in 2022, projects as a winger in the NHL and, though Jiri Kulich has played center with the Rochester Americans, he’ll have an easier path to Buffalo if he’s on the wing. Adding a experienced center should give Buffalo more comfort to trade one or more highly-regarded prospects to upgrade its NHL roster. The Sabres attempted to make such a deal Friday, Adams said, but the offers that he gave to other teams were declined.
The Sabres’ hockey operations staff didn’t plan to get much sleep Friday night. They owned eight picks in rounds two through seven, which begin Saturday at 11:30 a.m. Eastern, but there’s an urgency to improve the Sabres’ roster.
Adams wanted to make it clear to the fans listening to his press conference Friday night that he’s been “aggressive” in his pursuit. An NHL player was not traded during the first round of the draft, though several were moved in the days leading up to the annual event. The bottom-six lines need reinforcements. Buffalo is trying to add a top-six winger with a skill set that fits better than that of Jeff Skinner, who can be bought out before Monday. There’s also a need for a center, though, and while Helenius is under contract next season with Tappara in Liiga, he may have a chance in training camp to earn a roster spot like Zach Benson did a year ago after the winger was drafted with the 13th pick of the first round.
“He’s a very, very competitive player that’s got a skill set that we think will translate really well to the National Hockey League,” said Adams. “You never know the timeline when when a player like this will be ready to play and help you, but when you have already the experience that he’s gained through the men’s league, through the World Championships, that certainly expedite things. So, this is a really likeable player.”
Anton Lundell of the Florida Panthers made a similar leap to the NHL after he was drafted 12th overall in 2020, though he spent one more season in Liiga because of the Covid-19 pandemic. Lundell, 22, produced 16 points in 22 playoff games for the Stanley Cup champions and possesses many of the qualities that attracted the Sabres to Helenius. The question, though, is whether Helenius has the strength to make an immediate jump to the NHL and if he’ll be able to handle the physicality that comes with playing at that level.
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I wonder if they view Helenius as a little bit of an emergency option to play in the NHL next year depending on how everything else falls. His skill set is something we needed anyways but I wonder if that played into the pick. He’s more suited for a bottom 6 role than our other prospects.
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The Sabres’ scouts watched closely as Helenius appeared in almost 90 games between pro hockey and international tournaments. He impressed them with his intelligence, competitiveness and tenacity. Helenius is not the biggest player in this draft, but he was a menace on the forecheck and relishes the opportunity to check an opponent.
Helenius’ defensive habits mirror those shown by Jokinen throughout the coach’s 17-year career in the NHL. The latter reminded his pupil throughout the season that every detail matters, from stick positioning to finishing checks.
Scouts consider Helenius to be among the first-round prospects closest to helping in the NHL and, despite the urgency for Buffalo to snap a 13-year playoff drought, it’s conceivable that he’ll have the opportunity to earn a spot on coach Lindy Ruff’s roster.
“He’s a player that could be (in Finland), he could be in Buffalo, Rochester,” Sabres General Manager Kevyn Adams said. “Really, anything’s on the table. So obviously, it’s only been a little bit of time here since our pick was announced but certainly something we’ll get into right away with his agent and start that conversation. … We want to hear what the player has to say and the agent in terms of what they feel is the best for his development, but this is a player we’d like to get over here as fast as possible.”
There was angst among Adams and the Sabres scouts as they watched the draft unfold Friday night. They were nervous that a player they coveted may fall to the 11th pick, which they traded to the San Jose Sharks on Thursday to add a second-round selection. Once that unnamed player was selected in the top 10, though, Adams watched as the Sharks selected London Knights defenseman Sam Dickinson, then the Minnesota Wild traded up to No. 12 to take University of Denver defenseman Zeev Buium, whom some analysts thought could be taken as high as third overall.
Adams’ phone started to ring. He estimated that three or four teams called to try to acquire the No. 14 pick, but none of the deals made sense. Why trade back again and risk missing out on Helenius, who the Sabres had rated as a top-10 prospect in the class? The Philadelphia Flyers took a physical winger, Jett Luchanko, before the Sabres were on the clock. They didn’t take long to walk to the stage, where Ruff announced Helenius, who can help fill the void created by Buffalo trading Casey Mittelstadt to the Colorado Avalanche for defenseman Bowen Byram.
Noah Ostlund was arguably the best center prospect in the Sabres’ pipeline before they selected Helenius. Matt Savoie, their top choice in 2022, projects as a winger in the NHL and, though Jiri Kulich has played center with the Rochester Americans, he’ll have an easier path to Buffalo if he’s on the wing. Adding a experienced center should give Buffalo more comfort to trade one or more highly-regarded prospects to upgrade its NHL roster. The Sabres attempted to make such a deal Friday, Adams said, but the offers that he gave to other teams were declined.
The Sabres’ hockey operations staff didn’t plan to get much sleep Friday night. They owned eight picks in rounds two through seven, which begin Saturday at 11:30 a.m. Eastern, but there’s an urgency to improve the Sabres’ roster.
Adams wanted to make it clear to the fans listening to his press conference Friday night that he’s been “aggressive” in his pursuit. An NHL player was not traded during the first round of the draft, though several were moved in the days leading up to the annual event. The bottom-six lines need reinforcements. Buffalo is trying to add a top-six winger with a skill set that fits better than that of Jeff Skinner, who can be bought out before Monday. There’s also a need for a center, though, and while Helenius is under contract next season with Tappara in Liiga, he may have a chance in training camp to earn a roster spot like Zach Benson did a year ago after the winger was drafted with the 13th pick of the first round.
“He’s a very, very competitive player that’s got a skill set that we think will translate really well to the National Hockey League,” said Adams. “You never know the timeline when when a player like this will be ready to play and help you, but when you have already the experience that he’s gained through the men’s league, through the World Championships, that certainly expedite things. So, this is a really likeable player.”
Anton Lundell of the Florida Panthers made a similar leap to the NHL after he was drafted 12th overall in 2020, though he spent one more season in Liiga because of the Covid-19 pandemic. Lundell, 22, produced 16 points in 22 playoff games for the Stanley Cup champions and possesses many of the qualities that attracted the Sabres to Helenius. The question, though, is whether Helenius has the strength to make an immediate jump to the NHL and if he’ll be able to handle the physicality that comes with playing at that level.
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I wonder if they view Helenius as a little bit of an emergency option to play in the NHL next year depending on how everything else falls. His skill set is something we needed anyways but I wonder if that played into the pick. He’s more suited for a bottom 6 role than our other prospects.