Buffalo Sabres prospect Konsta Helenius arrived in North America a polished youngster, having spent two seasons playing pro hockey against men in his native Finland.
It felt like the rookie center, the 14th overall pick this year, could acclimate quickly to a different brand of hockey.
Well, Helenius, 18, is starting to heat up. He scored one goal in each of the Rochester Americans’ road victories this weekend. He’s up to three goals and four points in his first eight AHL games.
He scored a nifty breakaway goal in Friday’s 8-1 annihilation of the Utica Comets. He followed up by scoring an NHL 94-style goal in Saturday’s 3-2 shootout win in Utica, grabbing the puck along the end boards, skating in front and beating goalie Isaac Poulter from the bottom of the left circle.
Watch the goals below.
AAAND JUST LIKE THAT, HELE MAKES IT FOUR! pic.twitter.com/IeKeIQ1hFV
— Rochester Americans (@AmerksHockey) November 2, 2024
Konsta Helenius with goals in back-to-back games. @AmerksHockey | #ROCvsUTC pic.twitter.com/YNQW8IgtNC
— American Hockey League (@TheAHL) November 2, 2024