Flyers draft: Konsta Helenius is a battle-tested young playmaker, but there are some questions
Helenius, who played in Finland’s top professional league, draws praise for his strong play on both ends and his hockey IQ.
Fifth in a seven-part series highlighting players the Flyers might select in the first round of the NHL draft on June 28 in Las Vegas.
BUFFALO — What does Konsta Helenius know about Philly?
“Kimmo Timonen played there,” he said with a smile during an interview with The Inquirer at the NHL scouting combine.
Like Timonen, who patrolled the Flyers’ blue line for seven seasons, Helenius grew up in Finland. He’s from a small town called Ylöjärvi, which is almost a four-hour drive southwest of Timonen’s hometown of Kuopio. And like Timonen, he has played in Finland’s top professional league — among men — before being drafted.
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But while Timonen put up only two assists in 38 games across two seasons — and, yes, he was a defenseman so there is a difference in expected production — Helenius has notched big-time numbers. After 11 points in 33 games in 2022-23 with Jukurit, this past season as a 17-year-old, he recorded 36 points (14 goals, 22 assists) in 51 games. He added another six points in the playoffs.
“Playing against the men and everything, I think the battle level is high and everything,” Helenius said. “But in Liiga there is more, they are allowed to do more grab and hold and everything like that. So I think it’s a good thing for me to go to the NHL.”
Will he go to the NHL next season? That’s to be determined. First, he has to be drafted — and there’s a good chance it’ll be by the Flyers with the No. 12 pick.
Flyers general manager Danny Brière said at his predraft news conference on Thursday that the team could lean toward a center if there is a tie between picks because of their lack of depth down the middle.
But like several players in the draft, Helenius does come with some question marks. Helenius said goals are nice, but he’s a playmaker who plays strong at both ends and has a high hockey IQ. He was described by The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler as a player who is detail-oriented, intelligent, and an excellent defensive forward. His one critique is Helenius is listed as only 5-foot-11.
“He’s highly competitive and played very well vs. men this year in Liigaa,” The Athletic’s Corey Pronman added in his chat with The Inquirer. “Also, a really skilled playmaking centerman who sees the ice at a very high level and is projected as a top-six forward. Is he for sure a center or not in the NHL, a top-six center? I think the argument is, because he is a little bit bigger, he is a good skater, and he works hard, you can see the path.”
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The path is already starting to be cleared. This past May, Helenius became the youngest player to play for Finland at the Men’s World Championship, skating in four games and getting one assist. This came after he played for Suomi at World Juniors and the U-18 Championship.
Although Helenius said he was benched at Worlds, it helped him form a bond with countryman Jesse Puljujärvi, who has struggled to find his own footing in the NHL. And he learned what he needs to work on to reach the next level.
“There was no one big thing but everything little because they do little details so well,” Helenius said. “So that’s the thing, you [need to] do mistakes less because then they score goals if you do [make] some mistake. Little things.”
Helenius certainly has the ability to work on those things. With Jukurit, he is coached by former NHLer Olli Jokinen, who potted 750 points in 1,231 games. And he has a pretty good player to model his game after. When asked who he compares his game to, Helenius quickly said his fellow Finn, Sebastian Aho. It’s not a bad guy to pick, as the Carolina Hurricanes center is one of the premier pivots in the NHL.
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Now he is poised to take the next step down the path and hear his name called, whether it’s by the Flyers — who he said he had a good feel with — or another team.
“It doesn’t matter [when], I just want to play,” he said. “[I want to play] 15 years in the NHL, so it doesn’t matter where I get picked. It doesn’t matter, it’s just a number.”