Top quotes from the 2024 NHL Draft

The Buffalo Sabres made eight selections in the 2024 NHL Draft in Las Vegas, beginning with the 14th-overall pick in Konsta Helenius on Friday.

See below for the full interviews and top quotes as the Sabres' picks were introduced to the media for the first time.

*Simon-Pier Brunet (123rd overall), Patrick Geary (172nd overall), and Vasily Zelenov (204th overall) were not in attendance. 

Konsta Helenius (14th overall)

Helenius registered 14 goals and 36 points in 51 games in Finland’s top professional league (Liiga) while on a loan to Mikkelin Jukurit. His 36 points were the fourth-most in a single season by an under-18 player in Liiga history behind current NHL forwards Aleksander Barkov (48), Mikael Granlund (40), and Kaapo Kakko (38).

Despite his age, Helenius was proud of his performance against men in the league. 

"I think it was good for me to play against men because I like to battle hard," he said. "I’m not the biggest guy, but I think I’m a very strong guy. And I think it was good for me."

Adam Kleber (42nd overall)

Kleber posted 26 points (5+21) in 56 games for the Lincoln Stars of the USHL in 2023-24. The right-shot defenseman led all Lincoln defensemen in both goals and points. 

In his introductory media session, Kleber shared how he views his style of play. 

“Two-way defenseman," he said. "I can shut down other teams’ top players. I like to break out the puck well and join the rush.”

Brodie Ziemer (71st overall)

Ziemer served as team captain for Team USA at the U-18 World Championship, leading the team to a silver medal after tallying three goals and nine assists in seven games.

The Hutchinson, Minnesota native described his leadership style while meeting with the media. 

"I think for me, I’m a big lead-by-example guy," he said. "But this year I kind of wanted to become more vocal and that’s something I really worked on."

Luke Osburn (108th overall)

Osburn ranked third among USHL rookie blueliners with 23 points (8+15) in 60 games for the Youngstown Phantoms. The 17-year-old plans to finish his senior year of high school before attending the University of Wisconsin to play collegiately in 2026-27.

Osburn was overcome with emotions after he was drafted by Buffalo.

“It was pretty surreal,” he said. “Just honored to be part of the Buffalo Sabres organization, just with all their young talent, all the young defensive talent. It’s surreal still.”

Ryerson Leenders (219th overall)

Leenders, the No. 10-ranked North American goalie by NHL Central Scouting, led the OHL with a .909 save percentage while posting a 24-17-4 overall record for the Mississauga Steelheads.

During his introductory press conference, Leenders was asked why he chose to be a goalie. He shared how he was inspired by his older brother, Mason.

“My family wasn’t a hockey family at all,” he said. “And my brother asked for like three years straight, ‘Can we play hockey? Can we play hockey?’ My family said, ‘No, no, no.’ Then the third year he asked, they finally said yes, and they asked what position he wanted to play. He said goalie, and I look up to him, so I said goalie as well.”