Luukkonen got a taste of what playing for the Sabres might be like this past winter, when he took the ice at KeyBank Center for Finland at the World Junior Championship. He also got his first taste of professional hockey playing for Leki of Finland's second division.
In 24 games with Leki, Luukkonen posted a 2.92 goals-against average and a .909 save percentage.
"It was a little bit different, my first time in the men's league," he said. "There was a lot of new stuff going on and a lot of new games, different games than what I'm used to. It was a lot of learning included there but I think it went pretty well."
Listed at 6-feet-4-inches tall and 198 pounds, Luukkonen's size should be a harrowing sight for shooters. The next step in his development, he said, has to do with learning to control that large frame.
"I have to be a lot quicker and get some power to my body and some more control to my play," he said.
Luukkonen is rooming with Miska Kukkonen, a fellow Finn who was selected by the Sabres in the fifth round of this year's draft. Seeing the excitement shown by the first-year defenseman reminded Luukkonen of himself at last year's camp, a testament to how his comfort has grown in the one year since.
"There's a lot of the excitement of getting drafted," he said. "Drafted guys are so nervous here. You learn so much in the first camp. You're not here to show off. You're here to learn. [I am] a lot calmer this year in camp."