Continuing the Minnesota Wild Draft Target series with Mikkelin Jukurit forward Konsta Helenius.
Continuing the Minnesota Wild Draft Target series with Mikkelin Jukurit forward Konsta Helenius.
Continuing the Minnesota Wild Draft Target series, today we look at Mikkelin Jukurit forward Konsta Helenius.
Ryan Kennedy with The Hockey News has Helenius at 10 on his top 120 rankings for the 2024 NHL Draft.
"He's going to be an elite forward," one scout said. "I've seen comparisons to Brayden Point, but Mitch Marner isn't a bad comparison either. The stuff he did in the Finnish men's league hasn't been done often. He's not ready physically yet, but he could be a high-end forward."
Another scout that Kennedy interviewed said "He plays a competitive, detailed 200-foot game. The production is there. The vision and awareness and ability to finish. If he wasn't 5-foot-11, is he challenging for top five? When you see guys like Zach Benson doing it, you can't be afraid of it."
Helenius is coming off a season where he posted 14 goals, 22 assists, and 36 points in 51 games. Scott Wheeler of the Athletic has compared Helenius to Marco Rossi, Nick Suzuki, and Thomas Vanek.
Helenius projects to be a top six forward at the NHL level. Whether he sticks as a center or a winger remains to be unseen. He has been playing as a center for the last couple of years and will likely become one in the NHL but with his size, some teams may elect to use him as a wing.
The right-shot forward posted one of the best under-18 seasons in Liiga history. He was 12 points shy of Aleksander Barkov's Liiga record and currently ranks fourth in the league's history with 36 points in 51 games as an U18 player.
He ranks ahead of Patrik Laine, Anton Lundell, Sebastian Aho, and Mikko Rantanen for most points as an U18 in Liiga history.
For those who have questioned whether he sticks as a center in the NHL or not will be pleased to hear his defensive game is a real strength of his. He forechecks hard and seems to always be in the right position.
I actually believe a comparison between Helenius and Aho makes sense. Aho has proved to be skilled both offensively and defensively at the NHL level. They are also similar in height.
According to Hockey Prospecting, the comparable is fair.
They both played in the same D-1 year and Draft year as each other and both are from Finland. I think it is fair to say Helenius's celling at the NHL level could be Aho's and his floor would be Artturi Lehkonen. Both solid players.
If Helenius becomes a player like Aho or Lehkonen the Wild would be getting a great prospect at pick 13.
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Other Wild Draft Targets:
Defenseman: Sam Dickinson
Defenseman: Zeev Buium
Defenseman: Carter Yakemchuk
Defenseman: Zayne Parekh
Forward: Terik Parascak
Forward: Tij Iginla
Forward: Michael Brandsegg-Nygard
Forward: Berkly Catton
Forward: Cole Eiserman
Forward: Beckett Sennecke