Remember this name! The Finns have brought the star of the future. How is he the first in history and will he play against the Czechs today?

The Finns have been a safe reservoir of great hockey talent for decades. One star of the future has also arrived for the upcoming championship. If he makes at least one appearance, he will even win one historic championship. Just remember this name.

At the U20 World Championship in January, he scored a goal for the Czechs in the third place match, which our team won 8:5. He also played in this year’s U18 championship, where he and his teammates finished in the quarterfinals against Sweden. Now he is among the adults.

On Friday night, 18-year-old Konsta Helenius will become the first Finn ever to play in the Czech Republic at the World Championships, playing in all three of these events in one year. Despite his youth, he has already played two seasons in the top Finnish league for Jukurit. In this year’s he has accumulated a total of 42 points (16+26).

Olli Jokinen, the great Finnish hockey player, is overseeing the development of the great talent in Jukurit. The former Calgary and Florida forward is raising a truly unique player who will be a hot commodity in the upcoming NHL draft.

Start against the Czechs is not certain

“Coach is giving me tips, moving me around. My current goal is to be one of the top five players in the draft, which is not impossible. In the summer I trained with a group that trusted me. That kicked me up a notch, I became stronger on the puck,” Helenius told the NHL’s official website.

Helenius is already one of the driving forces in the Suomi youth teams. He has recorded four assists so far with the first team. But whether he will celebrate his debut goal against Radim Rulík’s selection is not at all certain, according to the findings of Deník Sport.

“He will definitely show up during the tournament, but he might not play against the Czech Republic,” Suomi coach Jukka Jalonen told Deník Sport about the immediate future of the youngest member of the large Finnish squad.

We will find out this evening if this is indeed the case and we will have to wait until Sunday’s game between Finland and Great Britain to see if Helenius plays. The Czech Republic vs. Finland match kicks off at 20:20.

Source: iSport.cz, NHL.com