Sabres sign Konsta Helenius to three-year, entry-level contract

The team from Western New York has locked down one of its top draft picks.

On Monday, the Buffalo Sabres announced they had signed forward Konsta Helenius to a three-year, entry-level contract.

The Sabres took Helenius with the 14th overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft. He is the first player taken by Buffalo to his entry-level deal.

General manager Kevyn Adams said he likes what he sees in Helenius’s game after scouting the young center and observing his performance during the Sabres’ development camp.

“We see a winning hockey player,” Adams said in a release. “Someone who’s going to play center for us and help us win hockey games.”

Helenius came into the draft after his best season in Liiga in his home nation of Finland. On loan from Tappara with Jukurit, the Ylöjärvi native scored 14 goals and 22 assists for 36 points in 51 games, totaling six points in six playoff games as well.

In two seasons playing Liiga, Helenius has appeared in 84 games, scoring 17 goals and 30 assists.

Playing at the club level wasn’t Helenius’ only workload during the 2023-24 campaign, as he was a busy bee on the international scene. He played seven games with Suomi at the 2024 IIHF World Junior Championship to kick off the New Year, scoring a goal and an assist. Then, he registered seven assists at the IIHF Men’s Under-18 World Championship. To top it all off, he made his debut with the senior national team at the IIHF Men’s World Championship, posting an assist in four games. Helenius even played in one game for the Finns during the EuroHockey Tour.

Helenius’ only hardware with Team Finland came at the 2022 Under-17 World Hockey Challenge, where the team won the bronze medal.

Heading into the draft, Daily Faceoff draft expert Steven Ellis had Helenius as the No. 12 prospect in his final 2024 NHL Draft rankings.