Buffalo Sabres select Konsta Helenius with No. 14 pick in 2024 NHL Draft

The Buffalo Sabres have selected right-handed center Konsta Helenius with the No. 14 overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft.

Helenius, 18, racked up 14 goals and 36 points in 51 Liiga games with Jukurit during the 2023-24 season. The Ylöjärvi, Finland product also skated in seven games with Team Finland at the 2024 IIHF World Junior Championship, collecting one goal and two points.

Here’s what Daily Faceoff‘s Steven Ellis has to say about Helenius, who slotted in at No. 12 on his final 2024 NHL Draft rankings:

“While Helenius did play a bit of wing this year, I feel like he’s got a good shot at being a center in the NHL. He’s a reliable, two-way forward coming off one of the most productive seasons ever by a U-18 player in the top Finnish league. He had a bit of a disappointing end to the season at the U-18s and World Championship, but the fact he looked so good against men for the better part of the year shows he can physically and mentally handle stronger competition. For a 5-foot-11 center, a lack of size hasn’t prevented Helenius from shining. He’s a battler who never gives up on a puck and plays with muscle. His hockey sense is among the leaders in this draft class, and he’s just so physically in tune with his own strengths. Helenius has a skill set, knows how to play to it, and knows how to use it to overpower opponents, no matter their experience.”

Helenius split his draft-minus-one season between Jukurit and the Finnish U-20 league, in which he played for Tappara and scored 28 points in 19 games as a 16-year-old. The 5’11”, 190-pound center has collected two goals and 13 points in 10 games with Team Finland over the last two IIHF U-18 World Championships.

The Sabres finished with a 39-37-6 record in the 2023-24 season, giving them 84 points — enough to finish 22nd in the league.