Rochesrer Americans forward Konsta Helenius, the Buffalo Sabres' 2024 first-round pick who was the youngest player in the AHL this season, has named to the league's third annual Top Prospects team.
To qualify, skaters must have been 22 years old or younger on the first day of the regular season, play at least 36 AHL games and no more than 30 NHL games during the season.
The team is determined by the league’s hockey operations department in conjunction with AHL general managers.
Rochester center Konsta Helenius scored 14 goals and had 35 points in 65 regular season games in his first season in North America.
Helenius played virtually all of the season as an 18-year-old before turning 19 on May 11. He had 14 goals and 21 assists for 35 points in 65 regular season games, and then added three goals and three assists in eight playoff games as the Amerks pushed their season to Game 5 of the North Division finals before losing to Laval.
“Just incredible. I thought he rose to the occasion. The bigger the moment, the better he played,” Amerks coach Michael Leone said during his season wrap-up with reporters. "I thought 'Helly' played a lot of winning hockey for us."
The AHL began naming a Top Prospects team in the 2022-23 season and a Sabres prospect has made it each season, with Jiri Kulich representing the Amerks each of the last two years.
Helenius was joined on the prospect team by Cleveland goalie Jet Greaves (Columbus), defenseman Logan Mailloux of Laval (Montreal) and Scott Morrow of Chicago (Carolina), and forwards Dalibor Dvorsky of Springfield (St. Louis) and Bradley Nadeau of Chicago.
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