ROCHESTER – Having lost three of their most talented forwards to recalls, the Americans have recently been forced to lean heavily on center Konsta Helenius, playing the Sabres prospect a whopping 23 or 24 minutes some games.
“He’s playing probably too much right now, to be honest,” Amerks coach Mike Leone told the Times Herald prior to Wednesday’s game against the Belleville Senators.
The Amerks, who have lost Josh Dunne, Noah Ostlund and Isak Rosen to Buffalo, dressed just 11 forwards for Sunday afternoon’s 2-1 road loss to the Hershey Bears.
“We don’t have Noah and Rosey here, so I have to fill their boots,” Helenius said.
Still, Helenius’ extra ice time can be traced to more than just a dearth of bodies up front. The Finn, 19, has shown he deserves more ice time in his second AHL season.
Leone said the youngster has taken “a big jump” in his development this season while looking assertive and attacking the game.
“He’s matured a lot as a person just off the ice,” he said of the youngest player on his roster. “He’s listening more. Part of development as a person is understanding we’re trying to help you. He’s getting three to four elite scoring chances a game.”
Helenius, the 14th overall pick in 2024, sounds confident and happy. Fresh off a strong rookie season – he tallied eight of his 18 total goals in the final 13 games, including three scores in the Calder Cup Playoffs – he returned to the Amerks feeling more comfortable as he begins a critical season in his development.
“It’s my second year here, so it was much easier to come here because I knew the players, coaching staff, everybody here,” Helenius said Wednesday morning. “And now we have another Finn here, too, (rookie goalie Topias Leinonen), so it’s easier for me.”
That familiarity makes coming to the rink each day special.
“I know everything,” said Helenius, who had scored four goals and 10 points in 12 games entering Wednesday’s contest. “(I know) I’m going to get better every day. … It’s just so easy to be here.”
At some point, the 5-foot-11, 190-pound Helenius will likely earn his first recall to the Sabres. He made a strong impression during training camp.
In a preseason game Sept. 23 against the Columbus Blue Jackets, he took an ill-advised hooking penalty in the offensive zone with the Sabres clinging to a late one-goal lead.
Instead of benching him when the penalty ended, Sabres coach Lindy Ruff wanted to see Helenius’ response, so he put him out as Columbus pressed for the tying goal with the extra attacker.
The neophyte, who slickly created a goal earlier that night, made two plays at the blue line to get the puck out and seal a win.
“I want to be on the ice when it’s six-on-five,” Helenius said. “I want to be that guy who’s on the ice. Of course, I have to be better in the D-zone, and that’s what I’ve been working on.”
Leone, of course, wants Helenius to keep improving away from the puck and morph into a complete two-way presence.
“He’s made big strides in his game, and he’ll continue to make strides, but it’s rounding out your game,” he said. “If you think about elite centers in the NHL, they’re all not just one dimensional; they’re 200-footers. …
“It’s not poor, he just has to round out his game. You want to be good or you want to be great?”