Helenius impresses in Sabres’ annual 3v3 tournament

Konsta Helenius was all smiles following the Sabres’ annual 3v3 tournament at LECOM Harborcenter, where the forward scored three goals, including the game-winning shootout goal in Game 1 and the game winner in Game 3 to help lead his team to the championship on Thursday morning.

Helenius and Team Perreault won all three of their games, culminating with a 5-0 victory over Team Robert to earn the tournament trophy.

The tournament marked the conclusion of Development Camp as 29 players spent the week becoming familiar with the Sabres organization with both on-ice and off-ice activities.

• Read: Helenius' path to Buffalo

The event also wrapped up a whirlwind of a week for Helenius, who was drafted by the Sabres with the 14th-overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft last Friday.

“It was a fun week,” Helenius said following the championship win. “A lot of good players, so it was fun to be on the ice and see the players.”

Helenius’ productive showing began in Game 1 against Team Martin, when he scored the shootout winner to break a 2-2 tie. Helenius brought the puck in with speed and pulled goaltender Scott Ratzlaff to his right before quickly moving the puck back to his forehand to tuck it away for the 3-2 win.

He then scored a pair of goals in Game 3, demonstrating his strong hockey sense and offensive skill in front of the 1,200 Sabres fans in attendance.

Rochester Americans coach Mike Leone, who arrived in Buffalo for camp on Wednesday following the birth of his first child, was impressed by the 18-year-old’s performance and shared what makes Helenius a special player.

“His poise with the puck, his deception, he’s got a low center of gravity, makes a lot of plays,” Leone said. “Had a really good day. It was good to be around him, had dinner with him last night with our group. So, really nice kid, really excited that he’s in our organization. But you could see the skill set. … I thought the days that I watched, he was really good.”

Helenius was also pleased with his performance throughout Development Camp, but plans to return home to Finland to train and continue building on his game.

"I want to be faster and stronger," he said.

Here's more from the 3v3 tournament.

1. In addition to Helenius, Sabres prospects Ethan Miedema, Stiven Sardarian, Jake Richard, and Brodie Ziemer also had standout offensive performances.

Miedema, a fourth-round pick in 2023, scored a tournament-high four goals, including the game-winning shootout goal in the semifinal game to lead Team Robert into the championship game.

Sardarian (third round, 2021) scored on a breakaway in Game 1 and tallied a pair of goals in Team Perreault’s 5-0 championship win while Richard (sixth round, 2022) scored twice in the tournament for Team Perreault and added multiple assists.

Ziemer, who was drafted in the third round of the last Saturday, scored twice on the day for Team Martin.

2. During his media availability, Leone expressed his excitement to be a part of the Sabres organization and was happy to attend the final days of camp after his daughter, Ivy, was born last Thursday. 

“It’s surreal,” he said. “... I’ve been fortunate to play with a lot of great coaches and I wanted to take this path. You never know when you’re going to get your opportunity. It was surreal putting the Sabres logo on and looking at your stall before you’re about to get on the ice. But it’s always been my dream to be in an NHL organization and it’s real, and I’m grateful for the opportunity and really excited to get started.”

In the meantime, Leone is going to take a moment to relax and spend time with his family ahead of the 2024-25 season.

“I’m excited to just go home and spend some time with my wife and our newborn,” he said. “But it’s been probably the best month I’ve had in my life. It’s been unbelievable. Really fortunate to be in this organization and given the opportunity. Obviously with a newborn, I was hopeful to get to the camp, the back end. I’m glad I got to come and meet everyone. I’m excited to go home though today and see the family and just enjoy the holiday weekend and relax.”

3. Leone was already familiar with Richard prior to camp through international play. Richard is entering his sophomore season at the University of Connecticut, where he had 18 points (7+11) in 36 games as a freshman.

“[Jake] looks great," Leone said. "I think his skating has taken a step too, and obviously you see today the puck skills and deception. He’s really good around the net. I think he’s taken a big step in his game, in his development process.”

4. Leone also previously scouted Sabres' seventh-round pick Vasily Zelenov, having drafted the forward to USHL Green Bay earlier this year. He offered his impressions of the forward following the tournament. 

“[Vasily] was a young player playing with a lot of older players,” Leone said. “I think he’s really competitive. I think he has a high hockey IQ, really good skill. I think the pace of play is probably something that he’s going to have to get adjusted to, playing the North American style, smaller rinks. But I think he’s gonna be a really good player, really good junior player and college player."