Typically in an NHL draft class, centres dominate the top of the rankings as the position teams are most eager to fill. In 2024, outside of Macklin Celebrini at the very top, there are versatile forwards who have played the position, but aren’t locked into projections in the middle of the ice at the NHL level. Cayden Lindstrom is probably the most likely to take up that position of players expected to go in the top half of the opening round. Ivan Demidov has also dabbled in the position thanks to his playmaking and ability to drive the centre lane. A bit further down the order you find Konsta Helenius, a 200-foot player who put together a great draft season in Liiga.
Birthplace: Ylöjärvi, Finland
Date of birth: May 11, 2006
Shoots: Right
Position: Centre/Right Wing
Height: 5’11″
Weight: 189 lbs.
Team: Jukurit (Liiga)
On loan from Tappara to Jukurit, Helenius scored 14 goals and added 22 assists in 51 games, finishing seventh on the team in the regular season. He raised his level in the post-season, ending up second on the team leaderboard with six points in six games.
A productive year saw him play internationally in the under-18, under-20, and men’s world championship. He’s clearly highly regarded by the Finnish Ice Hockey Association for his complete game, and an NHL team will be similarly enamoured with him on Friday.
It’s a bit surprising to see that he measured at 5’11” at the scouting combine given how small he looks on the ice. A low crouch is a feature of his game as he lowers his centre of gravity to make him difficult to force off the puck. He’s able to survive contact from larger defenders, and also initiates contact in an effort to win pucks back from opponents, making him a strong forechecker and effective defensive player.
He’s an energetic forward who is constantly in motion, chasing his check on defence or leading the rush through the neutral zone. He’s agile on his skates, and that contributes to his transition success, both in zone exits and entries. He’s not a fast skater, so it’s the sudden changes in direction than keep him out of range of defensive sticks.
His manoeuvrability creates enough space to open up lanes. He gets himself into scoring positions largely via edge-work alone, and rarely hesitates to shoot, even if his release isn’t elite. Without the puck he likes to sneak into open space in the offensive zone, and puts himself in great position to receive a pass for a high-danger shot.
With excellent awareness to go with his mobility, his greatest offensive strength should be as a playmaker. He attracts attention with his puck-carrying, then tries to slip the puck to a teammate. The problem for him is that there’s little deception in his passing, and defenders can often thwart his attempts no matter how much work he’s put in to set them up. He did find success in Liiga this year, but he will probably have a hard time replicating that versus the world’s best defensive players in the NHL using these same tactics.
Rankings
Dobber Prospects: #9
Elite Prospects: #11
Hockey Prospect: #13
Hadi Kalakeche: #11
McKeen’s: #13
Bob McKenzie (TSN): #9
FC Hockey: #5
NHL Central Scouting: #3 (European skaters)
Corey Pronman (The Athletic): #14
Scott Wheeler (The Athletic): #10
No glaring weaknesses have earned him a high ranking from every outlet. He’s more of a high-floor prospect than a high ceiling one, with questions about how translatable his offensive game is but few concerns about his ability to have an impact at the NHL level. At the very least, he should become a third-line player, then things have to go right for him in his offensive development and skating improvement to achieve a higher position.
With so few top-quality centres available this season, a team in the middle of the pack that needs some reinforcements down the middle will opt to add Helenius to their system, and end up with a roster player in a few years’ time. The retrospectives will look at his complete game in comparison to the players selected later who worked on their flaws and ultimately became more impactful offensive stars. How Helenius looks in those analyses will depend upon how his defensive work has grown, and whether he was able to develop a more dangerous shot to take advantage of his other offensive tools.
