Riku Helenius

Riku Helenius (born March 3, 1988 in Pälkäne, Finland) is a Finnish professional ice hockey goaltender.

Playing career
Helenius was drafted 15th overall in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft by the Tampa Bay Lightning, partly on the strength of his silver-medal-winning performance for the Finnish national men's hockey team in the 2006 under-18 World Junior Championships. He played for Ilves during the 2006–2007 season but due to a shoulder injury only played four games.

The Seattle Thunderbirds selected Helenius with the 46th overall selection in the 2007 Canadian Hockey League Import Draft. Helenius joined the Thunderbirds roster at the start of the 2007–2008 season. In December 2007, Helenius was selected as goalie for the Finish World Junior Team in the 2008 IIHF World Junior Championships.

On October 17, 2008, Helenius was assigned to the Augusta Lynx of the ECHL.

He appeared in his first NHL game on January 30, 2009 against the Philadelphia Flyers.

International play
Played for Finland in:


 * 2006 IIHF World U18 Championships (silver medal)