Future Blackhawks Prospect? Sizing Up Konsta Helenius

The Chicago Blackhawks have two first-round picks, one at #2 and the other at #18. While it’s going to likely be the pick of either Artyom Levshunov or Ivan Demidov at number two, who could they take at that 18th spot or potentially trade up a few more spots to snag? Chicago Hockey Now’s Future Blackhawks Prospect will be featuring a handful of prospects at that spot until the 2024 NHL Draft. Today we look at Konsta Helenius.

Konsta Helenius At A Glance

Forward
18 years old (5/11/06)
Games: 51
Goals-Assists-Points: 14-22-36
League/Team: Liiga (Jukurit)

It’s not a question of if he would be the right fit for the Blackhawks–Konsta Helenius is a slam dunk prospect for the Hawks. It’s really going to come down if he’ll slide all the way to #18.

More on that in a moment.

The skinny on the Finnish forward is everything Chicago looks for–high hockey IQ, great transition player, and a dynamic playmaker. If there is one spot he doesn’t grade out for the Blackhawks it’s not having the high end speed say of an Oliver Moore, Connor Bedard, or Nick Lardis. While the Blackhawks are flush with prospects down the middle, Helenius may be too good to pass up.

Will Konsta Helenius Actually Be There for the Blackhawks?

Here’s where it gets tricky. Konsta Helenius is another player who has been sneakily moving up the board and will likely be snatched prior to #18. A glance around the scouting hubs have him anywhere from third (Craig Button) to 17th (Smaht Scouting). The ons who usually have the closest pulse on things has him ninth (Bob McKenzie) which was one notch lower than where he graded him out earlier in the season.

That’s quite the range for a player lauded by Button as an “elite #1 center” who he also called a “lowercase Sasha Barkov.” So where does that leave him?

Button may have him a bit high on the board for some but other outlets have him climbing as well.  He had 22 interviews with teams, and Utah was the team that took him to dinner. They pick sixth and it sure seems in line Button’s ranking as well as the latest from FC Hockey, who pegged him the fifth best prospect on the list.

Likely, the Hawks would have to move up a bit to grab him and that’s if he falls into the middle of the first round. He’s certainly one to keep an eye on but in this case, it sure appears as if he’ll be long gone by the time the Blackhawks choose at 18.

Previous Future Blackhawks Entries

Macklin Celebrini | Cole Eiserman | Artyom Levshunov | Michael Hage | Ivan Demidov | Cayden Lindstrom | Berkley Catton | Adam Jiricek |

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