Flyers should like Helenius, ‘one of the draft’s biggest talents’

Flyers should like Helenius, ‘one of the draft’s biggest talents’ originally appeared in NBC Sports Philadelphia

Despite making it through most of the 2023-24 season, the Flyers still have a rebuilding mentality. The club’s decision-makers know there is a need for more talent and that the early draft remains the best way to acquire it.

“The majority of it still needs to be done through our young guys, especially through the draft,” general manager Danny Briere said in April.

The Flyers will have a good opportunity to boost their future when the 2024 NHL Draft arrives June 28-29 at the Sphere in Las Vegas. The first round is Friday at 7pm ET, while rounds 2 through 7 take place on Saturday starting at 11:30am ET.

Like last summer, the Flyers have 10 picks, including two first-round picks. Barring a negotiation, they will make their best overall selection at 12th position. Briere believes the Flyers “can get a very talented player” at that position.

In the first round of the 2023 draft, the Flyers attacked Matvei Michkov in the 7th position It is grabbed Oliver Bonk in 22nd place. They should also have two 2025 first-round picks.

Ahead of the 2024 draft, we’ll break down the targets for the Flyers at No. 12.

First:

Konsta Helenius

Position: center
Height: 5-foot-11
Weight: 180
Photos: Right
Team: Jukurit

Scouting Report

Helenius is an intelligent playmaker who performed impressively at the age of 17, playing against men in his country.

In Liiga, Finland’s top professional league, Helenius scored 36 points (14 goals, 22 assists) and 212 shots in 51 games this season while on loan at Jukurit. He served as a point-per-game player in the playoffs, recording two goals and four assists.

In 84 career Liiga games, Helenius has 47 points (17 goals, 30 assists) and a plus-6 rating. He turned 18 last month.

At the 2024 IIHF under-20 World Junior Championship, Helenius recorded a goal and an assist in seven games for Finland.

“He’s a very smart hockey player,” Dan Marr, vice president of NHL Central Scouting, said last Thursday in a phone interview with NBC Sports Philadelphia. “His hockey sense is one of his best assets, but he has the puck skills to execute plays and generate offense. Talent-wise, he’s one of the top talents in the draft.”

NHL Central Scouting ranked Helenius as the highest-ranked European skater in his intermediate grades before finishing in third place. He is considered the seventh best prospect in the draft by TSN Craig Button and ninth for TSN’s Bob McKenziewhile EliteProspects. with has it in 11th place.

“A lot of the really good Finnish players in the NHL are not flashy, they’re not loud, they’re just very effective, very consistent,” Marr said. “He’s going to be one of those really sophisticated, smart, skilled players that goes out there and makes good plays and makes things happen. He will be the guy you can turn to when you need a goal, when you are defending a lead. He’s an intelligent player, he understands the game very well.”

Adjustment with leaflets

There is upside on the top line with Helenius, which should intrigue the Flyers if he lands at No. 12. Center is a premium position and is arguably the weakest area of ​​the team from an organizational perspective.

The Flyers eventually want to identify and develop a high-quality center to play alongside Michkov, their top prospect. There was hope that Cutter Gauthier would play middle for them, which makes your loss even harder to swallow.

Helenius would give the Flyers a potential top-six center who may not be that far away from making an impact at the NHL level. And they have good people, like coach and player development scout Sami Kapanen and amateur scout Sami Sandell, who can help Helenius transition to North America.

Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts:
Apple Podcasts | Youtube Music | Spotify | Seamstress | Art19 | RSS | Watch on youtube