Who Could New Jersey Devils Select With 10th-Overall Pick In NHL Draft?
By Nick Villano
Konsta Helenius
Jukurit
Now this one is interesting. Konsta Helenius is trying everything out. He was playing with Jukurit and the U18 team at different points of the year, representing Finland everywhere he could. His production is compared to former second-overall picks Patrik Laine and Kaapo Kakko. He eventually looked like one of the better young players in all of Liiga. That’s what you want from a player in this year’s draft.
Helenius is a slightly undersized center who will grow into his body and should finish up just a hair over six feet tall. He won’t help the Devils’ size issues, but he’s not exactly Johnny Gaudreau.
One slight issue was his performance at the U18 World Championships. Many thought he would take over for Finland, but he was just fine (based on the hype). While other top prospects were putting together insane performances, he finished his tournament with no goals. It’s something that might have him falling from the top international skater midseason to available around the Devils pick (possibly).
What would probably push the Devils to pick Helenius is his two-way game. He’s a great defensive center for his age. He really puts effort into stopping the other team from scoring. His Hockey IQ is through the roof, and the Devils would be getting a player whose ceiling hasn’t been realized yet.