2024 NHL Draft Prospect Deep Dive: Konsta Helenius

The top-tanked European by the NHL's Central Scouting Service on their midterm list, Helenius is certainly an excellent player, but is he worth a top-10 pick?

When the NHL Central Scouting released their midterm rankings in January, no one was surprised that Macklin Celebrini was the top-ranked North American prospect. His performance at the 2024 World Juniors cemented his place as the top choice. Despite being the youngest player on an underwhelming Canadian team, the Boston University star still scored eight points in five games to lead the team, while his four goals doubled the next-highest total. His 43 points in 28 NCAA games have only helped him further the gap between him and second place.

The top-ranked European, however, was met with a few questions. While Ivan Demidov has been compared to Matvei Michkov for his dynamic offensive skills and is frequently projected to go in the top five, the scouting service chose Finn Konsta Helenius as the best European player available. He joined Celebrini as a draft-eligible player at the World Juniors but put up just a goal and two points in seven games, a far cry from what was expected from a top prospect.

That performance has left Helenius in somewhat of a draft purgatory; while most rankings have him within the top 10, it’s hard to justify passing on some more exciting prospects. So, let’s take a deep dive into Helenius’ skillset and see where that lands him in the 2024 NHL Draft.