Helenius, Firkus, Nadeau shine at AHL All-Star Skills Competition

ROCKFORD, Ill. -- The 2026 American Hockey League All-Star Classic is a rare opportunity for the game's top prospects to take a break before the demands of the regular-season stretch drive intensify across the next two months.

It also is a chance to see well-known names who came through the NHL's top developmental league and are proof that mastering the game's details can be a pathway to full-time NHL work.

Rockford (Chicago Blackhawks) is hosting the annual two-day event that started Tuesday with the AHL All-Star Skills Competition. The Eastern Conference defeated the Western Conference 18-15 in an event headlined by some of the NHL's top prospects.

Buffalo Sabres forward prospect Konsta Helenius won the fastest-skater event with a time of 13.770 seconds. Jagger Firkus, in his second pro season in the Seattle Kraken organization, became the sixth player in AHL history to go 4-for-4 in the accuracy shooting event. Chicago (Carolina Hurricanes) forward Bradly Nadeau finished second in the hardest-shot competition at 103.0 mph. Calle Clang of San Diego (Anaheim Ducks) was named the event's top goalie with 16 saves on 18 shots.

This week is the first time that the AHL has had its midseason event in the midwest since Grand Rapids (Detroit Red Wings) hosted in 2004. The AHL All-Star Challenge, a round-robin 3-on-3 tournament between the AHL’s four divisions, is Wednesday (8 ET; NHLN,TSN).

Top prospects like Firkus and Helenius had a chance Tuesday to get an up-close look at two players who followed the same path they are on to the NHL. Former Blackhawks standouts Patrick Sharp and Kris Versteeg are serving as honorary captains for the event. Each player came through the AHL before finding NHL success.

Sharp, who won the Stanley Cup with the Blackhawks in 2010, 2013, and 2015, played 163 AHL games as a Philadelphia Flyers prospect. Versteeg played 139 games in the AHL for the Boston Bruins and Blackhawks organizations before going on to win the Stanley Cup with Chicago in 2010 and 2015.

If a top prospect's first season in the AHL is about acclimation, the second pro season is a time when top skills are able to flourish. But Sharp and Versteeg reached where players like Firkus and Helenius hope to be before long by using the AHL to make themselves consistent two-way players.

Buffalo selected Helenius in the first round (No. 14) of the 2024 NHL Draft. In his second season with Rochester, he has 34 points (10 goals, 24 assists) in 36 games as a 19-year-old. He also made his NHL debut Jan. 19, and had four points (one goal, three assists) in nine games before being returned to Rochester.

Firkus was selected him in the second round (No. 35) of the 2022 NHL Draft, and he has 44 points (17 goals, 27 assists) in 45 games for the AHL affiliate, Coachella Valley.

"Everything," Helenius said of what he is trying to add to his game to make it NHL-ready. "If you want to be a two-way player, you have to [do] everything."

Nadeau, chosen by Carolina in the first round (No. 30) in the 2023 NHL Draft, generated enthusiasm with 32 goals in 64 games as a rookie last season. He is the fifth player in AHL history to reach 30 or more goals before turning 20. But learning the details that make for a complete two-way player who can earn the trust of a NHL coach is where the AHL development path is most productive.

He has three points (two goals, one assist) in 11 NHL games across three seasons, including two goals in eight games this season.

Back in the AHL, Nadeau has been able to maintain his offensive production with 41 points (18 goals, 23 assists) in 34 games for Chicago, but much of his focus has been on improving his play away from the puck in all three zones. Those lessons must become second nature to would-be NHL players.

"All those small things lead to big things," Nadeau said. "I think [those lessons becoming second-nature] are a big part of this year. [As a rookie], you play sometimes, and you're thinking too much. This year I think the big difference is you just play. You don't have to think."

Said Firkus of his second pro season and reaching a comfort level: "I think the biggest thing is confidence. When … you want the puck on your stick, you succeed more, for sure."

While the 72-game regular season is about making those details second nature, the AHL All-Star Classic is a chance to let loose a bit for players like Firkus, Helenius and Nadeau before they resume the tight-checking grind that is the AHL.

"It's a lot of fun," Nadeau said. "We're back at it this [weekend]."