LW Patrik Laine - Tappara, Liiga (2016 Draft) VII

[Legion34]

Ovechkin is such a bad player really, that I do hope that comparing Laine to him would really stop. I would take in fact most of the NHL players with good offensive skills over Ovechkin. Again and again he proves that I am right about him as a player. I would like to emphasize though that I hold almost zero value to point and goal production during regular season.

So what if you score consistently over 50 goals in a regular season? Player who scores consistently about 20 goals in the regular season can be easily a better player than a consistent over 50 goal scorer in the regular season, especially if the over 50 goal player is so totally onesided, selfish, bad team player and terrible in the biggest games. The huge admiring of Ovechkin in the hockey world shows that a huge amount of hockey fans unfortunately really don't understand that much about what are the really deciding factors for winning something big in hockey. By having a player like Ovechkin in your team you really become a more predictable team. And I believe the chances of winning anything big become in fact smaller than with a more balanced team with great team players and more balanced goal scoring spread.

I hope Laine will continue to make his play more many sided. He has already improved in that this season, and he is definitely better in that than Ovechkin was at the same age. I definitely believe that Laine will become a clearly better player than Ovechkin. On the other hand that wouldn't be that much really, as I can easily name about 100 to 150 better players in the NHL, KHL, SHL and FEL than Ovechkin is. The only more overrated player I can think of in the world is Kovalchuk. Those two are really something in that department.

What I really hope is that people wouldn't go too much into comparing young prospects to the ready made experienced players, when they are at their prime. If you compare to them, compare to what they were when they were the same age as the young prospect is right now.

I think Laine's ceiling is almost anything. But the floor can also be even that, that he doesn't break through in the NHL and even becomes a KHL player or another European money league player. I highly doubt this, but still with bad luck with injuries and if his development would after all stop completely, even this option could be possible. But as I said, I doubt this very much, and I am over 50% confident that he will become a great NHL star and that many prospects in the future will be compared to him.

Anyway interesting times to follow the development of so many magnificent top prospects.

Ovechkin was so well thought of that florida tried to draft him a
Year early and claim timezones or something. Comparing the two is foolish.

Apparently laine was already complained about by his teammates
For not passing. If laine was comparable to ovy, he would be undisputed
No 1 draft pick.

 

[JA]

This thread is going to hit 1000 posts soon, so if the mods don't mind, I'll put up Part 8 with the content I compiled in my Part 7 OP. I will continue to add information as the days and weeks ahead go by.

 

[FinPanda]

He wasn't even best player on team Finland.

He had incredible season.. We won't see that from a Finn anytime soon.

 

[aqsw]

im curious how good he will be in this tourney next year when he is a year older

He won't be playing in this tourney next year. He will be with the Jets in the playoff race

 

[Murky]

Apparently laine was already complained about by his teammates
For not passing.

Oh please. That was a joke by Jokinen who was, ironically enough, commenting on Laine's great pass on his goal.

 

[Halberdier]

Apparently laine was already complained about by his teammates
For not passing.

No. Not really.

Have you ever heard a joke? Jokinen was simply joking. He said (jokingly) that those guys from Tampere (Laine & Barkov) are not passing to him, and that he wouldn't either, if he had such a shoot that Laine has.

 

[ijuka]

Yeah, and that is a factor. 7 months ago he was the number 4 prospect. He's now 2. And just becuase he made a massive jump in 7 months, doesn't mean he will make the same jump again in the next 7 months. It is less of a factor in european prospects due to there being less constraints on age, its still a factor, but not as big as it is in NA, where players are limited to leagues by age.

Did you just look at the prospect listings or his gameplay and the changes in it? Let's just say that I disagree.

Hoping that the Jets give him linemates and a system that he deserves. This tournament sold him short, badly.

 

[Hagged]

Studies into how important it is for Euro's is fairly limited, and it seems to be more prevalent in regards to USHL and CHL guys, due to the fact their are age requirements to play in leagues. While Euro's can easily be moved up and down levels as seen fit, which minimizes the actual effect of age.

There is an interesting case study available from last years draft in Aho though. Nobody in their right mind at the time of last years draft would have said Aho was a top 10 player of that draft (he wasn't but he had potential to become that). This season he was arguably a FEL team MVP and possibly the best two way player in the league. Well Aho is still 18, but has just progressed at a faster pace than his peers in FEL.

Now, Aho still has the size disadvantage considering the succesful transition to the NHL, but still it seems more of a rule than an exception that these steals tend to be the youngest of the draft eligibles more often than not.

However you are correct that it doesn't always work up that way. It's just that on average even those few months can make an impact.

Laine in 7 months will more likely than not closed the gap further and it will happen until both have reached their primes, whether or not their respective primes are reached at the same age, or whether or not their development curves are similar is just guesses and rolling dice, but on average you're better off taking the 1 month younger when all other things are equal (and note I'm not saying all other things are equal).

 

[Johnny HFBOARDS]

Kid didn't have his best game today but had a fantastic tournament, not every day an 18 year old is named MVP in a men's tournament featuring stars in the NHL. As much as I've "ragged" on Laine he's gonna be a star.

Winnipeg is in a good spot

He did have Chef all over him like a wet blanket though, next year that wet blanket will be giving him tips to avoid other wet blankets in the Central division.

Hoping that the Jets give him linemates and a system that he deserves. This tournament sold him short, badly.

Yeah coach PoMo has this really great guy that he likes to setup awesome rookies with for the first 20-40 games each year, his name is Scoreburn.

 

[Legion34]

Oh please. That was a joke by Jokinen who was, ironically enough, commenting on Laine's great pass on his goal.

The kid is not ovy. That may be a joke. Gtetting kicked off a team for threatening his coach was a joke too right? Odd sense of humor

 

[Halberdier]

Did you just look at the prospect listings or his gameplay and the changes in it? Let's just say that I disagree.

Hoping that the Jets give him linemates and a system that he deserves. This tournament sold him short, badly.

I agree with you and disagree with 93LEAFS in regards of that "7 months ago he was #4".

From the start of FEL season, Laine was so much ahead of Puljujärvi (more or less consensus #2 that time), that it wasn't even funny. Laine was scoring goal after goal, but then suffered a minor injury. Made lot of mistakes, but also a lot of smart plays, and was literally learning a thing or two in each game.

I have never been enjoyed anyone's game than watching Laine all season long. Even Barkov was not as delightful to watch couple years earlier.

 

[bezdomnyj durak]

The kid is not ovy. That may be a joke. Gtetting kicked off a team for threatening his coach was a joke too right? Odd sense of humor

Wow, man. I think you should calm down a bit already, I guess that's not healthy in the long run

 

[Hagged]

the kid is not ovy. That may be a joke. Gtetting kicked off a team for threatening his coach was a joke too right? Odd sense of humor

roflmao. How about you breathe, then go read some articles. And then come back posting

 

[ijuka]

One scout said that "His skating can improve the most out of the top prospects" is a strength because of how good it at that point is going to most likely be.

 

[Beukeboom]

One scout said that "His skating can improve the most out of the top prospects" is a strength because of how good it at that point is going to most likely be.

He would indeed be even more leathal if his skating got better. However I think there is a tendancy to believe everything can be improved to top notch. I mean many NHL'rs arn't good skaters. You can't just teach everything because it is not there yet.

 

[Halberdier]

The kid is not ovy. That may be a joke. Gtetting kicked off a team for threatening his coach was a joke too right? Odd sense of humor

Please stop trolling this thread. Those were in no way connected.

All season long Laine has not showed a slightest sign of being an a-hole or not being a good team player. And about passing, he has been all season long been way too eager to pass instead of shooting, if you ask me. Including in the tournament.

He seems to not be a selfish player. He has been an *** when in juniors, and he has openly admitted that. They used to have couple of top talents in Finnish junior team, and they were only passing each others and things like that. But he has matured very well.

 

[Legion34]

Wow, man. I think you should calm down a bit already, I guess that's not healthy in the long run

Pretty calm. Im saying he is no where near the hype of ovechkin, and ovy is a top 10 scorer ever quite possibly when its all said and done. How many players have gotten kicked off their team for threatening the coach? I am surprised after kane jets fans arent so worried about that. Honest question can anyone remember that happening?

I think there is a very real possibility the leafs draft him. I am in the minority on the leafs board.

My concerns have been the same from the start

Positives: big league shot, tons of offensive prowess, projectable frame. Seems to have big game potential but on the whole i dont really believe in that.

Negatives: attitude concerns, the need for time and space, defensive lapses, predictability.

He is a toss up for me. When i watch matthews,
I wonder if laine will be better. When i think about them drafting laine, the other concerns rear their head.

But he is not ovy. Matthews is not crosby

Annnnnnd thats ok

 

[93LEAFS]

There is an interesting case study available from last years draft in Aho though. Nobody in their right mind at the time of last years draft would have said Aho was a top 10 player of that draft (he wasn't but he had potential to become that). This season he was arguably a FEL team MVP and possibly the best two way player in the league. Well Aho is still 18, but has just progressed at a faster pace than his peers in FEL.

Now, Aho still has the size disadvantage considering the succesful transition to the NHL, but still it seems more of a rule than an exception that these steals tend to be the youngest of the draft eligibles more often than not.

However you are correct that it doesn't always work up that way. It's just that on average even those few months can make an impact.

Laine in 7 months will more likely than not closed the gap further and it will happen until both have reached their primes, whether or not their respective primes are reached at the same age, or whether or not their development curves are similar is just guesses and rolling dice, but on average you're better off taking the 1 month younger when all other things are equal (and note I'm not saying all other things are equal).

Players obviously break out at different ages, and when given a chance. But I do believe that Euro's are significantly less affected by age. Its not like when Reinhart for example has an extra full CHL year on Sam Bennett or Kyle Connor had a full year on Brock Boeser. While I believe age is still a factor, I do also believe it is less important important where the ability to move guys up and down with less restrictions. The CHL/USHL age entrance date (Jan 1st) differing from NHL entry date (3rd week of September), creates unique situations. I don't believe high-end Euro's are restricted by this, outside of IIHF events, but even then if they are good enough they are sent.

 

[dubey]

One scout said that "His skating can improve the most out of the top prospects" is a strength because of how good it at that point is going to most likely be.

To me, this quote sounds like Matthews and Pulj are a lot closer to 10/10 skaters than Laine is, therefore more room for improvement

 

[Joe MacMillan]

One scout said that "His skating can improve the most out of the top prospects" is a strength because of how good it at that point is going to most likely be.

A scout said what exactly? That his weak skating is essentially one of his strengths or that he has most to improve on skating out of all top prospects?

 

[Halberdier]

He would indeed be even more leathal if his skating got better. However I think there is a tendancy to believe everything can be improved to top notch. I mean many NHL'rs arn't good skaters. You can't just teach everything because it is not there yet.

While that's true, they say that the skating position of Laine is already very good, so he can skate very well. The problem is the lack of power, especially the explosive power. To certain degree, that should be very easy to fix.

I don't believe that Laine would ever be the fastest guy on ice on NHL, and yet I don't think that he needs to. He is so smart that he needs to just be a good/average skater on NHL, and I'm confident that he will reach that.

 

[geoo9]

Latest RT by Pronman

This guy simply amazing and my word is that Laine will be in Toronto. Babckok will see this potential

 

[rehf]

Lol @ people thinking Laine flipping his coach off (probably for a good reason) at age 15 is an issue

 

[ijuka]

A scout said what exactly? That his weak skating is essentially one of his strengths or that he has most to improve on skating out of all top prospects?

His weak skating is a weakness obviously, just that it can increase the most out of the top prospects with proper skating coaching / concentrating on improving it. Puljujärvi or Matthews couldn't improve their skating as much.

I guess what it basically is about is that there are many fixable technique things wrong with Laine's skating, the power is there.(Or maybe I'm totally wrong)

 

[strat1]

This might sound corny but sometimes losing can be more valuable than winning especially for a younger player. Player who lost the game can now objectively analyze the game what went wrong. Loss can motivate to be an even better and it's easier to find own weaknesses from a bad game. Too much success can be a bad thing for development.

Mistakes and losses are part of learning process and i hope Laine understands this too.