Rounding out our series of Los Angeles Kings prospects in need of a big 2024-25 season, we’ve got 6-foot-6 center Samuel Helenius.
A lot of what I say about Helenius here will mirror what I wrote about a few weeks ago on Andre Lee. They’re similar prospects in that Kings fans have gotten very excited about the idea of them without focusing enough on the reality of them.
In theory, Helenius is a big, nasty center who can kill penalties and is willing to drop the gloves, filling that shepherd role the Kings covet so much.
However, that isn’t the reality of Helenius, at least not yet.
On the plus side, the physical and mental tools are there for Helenius. He is big and he is mean, it just hasn’t translated to an NHL-quality player yet.
An important thing to note is his physical development, according to sources close to the Ontario Reign, Helenius was asked to drop a lot of weight last season to rebuild his weight differently.
I’m far from a professional trainer so I’m not sure what that will look like, but it’s fair to assume Helenius will be much stronger this season than last. Despite being listed at 216-pounds by EliteProspects, I was told he weighed in under 210 pounds at training camp.
If he ends up at 225-230 pounds as opposed to under 210, that will make a huge difference.
Onto the player though, like Lee, there’s a lot of development that needs to be made before he can seriously challenge for an NHL spot.
He’ll never be a star-level scorer and his game will be more about intangibles and defensive work, but you still need to be able to play with the puck at the NHL level.
Helenius has a hard shot that can beat goalies if he has time to get it off and has some decent hands around the net, but that hasn’t translated into much production yet.
After eight goals and 11 assists last season, he needs to be shooting for double-digit goal totals and closer to 30 points next season.
If Helenius can become a 0.5 point-per-game player in the AHL and add a physically menacing side to his game, that’s a potential NHL fourth-line center.
I liked the Helenius pick back in 2021 despite his lower ceiling, but he needs to show progress in hitting the “high floor” he was supposed to have.
There’s certainly still a path to the NHL, especially if he comes into next season significantly stronger, but he turns 22 in November and needs to show a lot more at the AHL level before he can be considered a potential NHLer.
If he grabs 10-15 goals and somewhere around 30 points, while being a consistent penalty killer and a true physical impact for Ontario, Kings fans should start to get excited about his potential as a 4C next season.
If it’s another year of minimal production and physicality without much dominance, it’s hard to see him cracking the roster after his age-23 season in the AHL.
