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

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Patrik Laine:
Birthdate: April 19, 1998.

2015-16 Liiga Rookie of the Year.
2015-16 Liiga Rookie Goals Leader.
2015-16 Liiga Rookie Points Leader.
2015-16 Liiga Playoff MVP and Champion.
2015-16 Liiga Playoff Goals Leader.
2015-16 Liiga Record Setter for Most Playoff Goals By a Rookie.
2016 World Junior All Star Team.
2016 World Junior Gold Medal.
2016 World Junior Goals Leader.
2015 U-18 All Star Team.
2015 U-18 Silver Medal.
2015 U-18 Goals Leader.
2016 World Championship MVP.
2016 World Championship Silver Medal.
2016 World Championship All-Star Team.
2016 World Championship, IIHF Directorate Award for Best Forward.
2016 World Championship, Award for Top 3 Player on Team.
2016 World Championship Goals Leader.
2016 World Championship Record Setter for Most Goals by a Player in First Year of NHL Draft Eligibility.
2016 World Championship Record Setter for Most Points by a Player in First Year of NHL Draft Eligibility.
Second-Highest Point Total by a U-19 Player at a World Championship Tournament (behind only Sidney Crosby, 2006).

http://www.eliteprospects.com/player.php?player=221667

14-svyle-285743572a3f5bde52a.jpg


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A demonstration of some of Laine's skills with his stick:



Between Liiga, the World Juniors, Champions Hockey League, U20 Four Nations, the World Championship, and several exhibition games, Patrik Laine played 104 games in total during the 2015-16 hockey season (breakdown: http://hfboards.mandatory.com/showpost.php?p=118558927&postcount=976).

On the left, all of Patrik's goals from the 2015-16 Liiga (Finnish Elite League) regular season and other highlights in chronological order.

On the right, Patrik's 2016 Liiga playoff goals, and playoff shift highlights as well, in chronological order.



Liiga Championship post-game celebration: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HPra8YF0bcE

Laine's 2015 IIHF U-18 tournament highlights (August 2015):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=445JOZMdxSY

Laine's 2016 IIHF U-20 World Junior Championship highlights (December-January 2016):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iwf64yOB1wo

Televised World Junior Gold Medal Celebration in Finland [YLE TV; Patrik Laine interview at 48:49 of video] (Finnish language): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t2JsZLpjYVo

2016 World Championship highlights (May 2016):

OT shift in exhibition vs USA: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ws--uda8eGU
Goals #1 and #2 vs Belarus (0:24 and 1:06 of video): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eYXRD7D33ZE
TSN's Finland-Belarus post-game feature: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vIyk1JgyW4E
Goal #3 vs Germany: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xpJ-kuXHUIE
Goal #4 vs Germany: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_a2Vk9cQ2M
Crossbar vs USA: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XAcNREnabHE
Playmaking shift vs USA: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zo-z15QccV0
Goal #5 vs France: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VMc9GaQL4nE
Goal #6 vs Slovakia: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5c2JIw8lmEk
Record-setting assist vs Hungary (1:43 of video): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=13J2qm7mifU
Goal #7 vs Denmark (Quarterfinals): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Ca3s-rZxU0
Game-winning assist vs Russia (Semifinals): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3m1QxSlkqWY
Shift highlights from Laine's big performance vs Canada (Round Robin) (considered to be his best game of the tournament): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aBOOiCZRXZc



-------------------------------------------------------

Due to the length and breadth of information provided in the previous OP, there likely would not be enough space in this OP to continue to provide updates if I simply carried over all of that information into this post. As such, I will link to the previous OP here, where a plethora of useful information may be found. You may use it as a resource to learn more about Patrik Laine:

http://hfboards.mandatory.com/showpost.php?p=118557191&postcount=1

Below are the table of contents you will find in that post.
Table of contents:
1. Highlights.
2. Scouts' comments.
3. Additional commentary about Laine's 2015-16 Tappara season -- linemates and scoring logs.
4. Concerning his skating, and Hannu Rautala.
5. Select interview clips.
6. Comparisons in style to Mario Lemieux from scouts and former players.
Click to expand...
This thread, on the other hand, will serve to update readers on current events related to Patrik Laine such as the 2016 Draft Combine and to the upcoming 2016 NHL Entry Draft.

Cj-C5S_WEAAszwo.jpg:large


2016 NHL Combine media scrum (June 3, 2016):



Despite the statement in the TSN article below, written by Gary Lawless, that Patrik Laine is now 6 ft 4.7 inches tall, Laine was measured officially at the 2016 NHL Combine on Saturday, June 4, 2016.

As of June 2016, he is 6 ft 3.75 inches tall, and weighs 201 lbs.

http://thehockeywriters.com/2016-combine-heights-weights/

http://www.tsn.ca/towering-laine-possesses-a-powerful-confidence-1.500870
Towering Laine possesses a powerful confidence
By Gary Lawless
June 4, 2016

...

“I like it when the other team loses its focus and does bad and dirty things to me,†Laine said. “When they start talking at me it means they’ve lost their own game. If they focus on me like that, it makes it easier for my teammates to make plays. I keep my cool and play mine and our game. I like it when the other team tries to get me. It makes me play better and it means they’re distracted.â€

...

“I haven’t really seen anything like this before,†said Finnish journalist Juha Hiitela. “Patrik-mania. It’s bigger than Teemu. Finland was crazy about Selanne before he went to the NHL, but this is a different time with social media. There was no Twitter or Instagram for Teemu. Now, when Pate (pronounced Pa-Tay) gets a haircut or goes for his driver’s license, it’s huge. He’s like the Backstreet Boys. The old lady in Lapland knows who he is and the young boys and girls in Helsinki want to know everything about him. It’s crazy. But we have never had a player like this at this age before. He’s the best 18-year-old player Finland has ever seen.â€

...

Finnish agent Petteri Lehto said, “I don’t think anybody [in Finland] has been this good this early.â€

Goran Stubb, who has been the NHL’s Director of European Scouting since 1984, has seen every player Finland has produced for more than 30 years.

“I can’t compare players from different eras,†said Stubb, a Finn himself. “Is he better at this age than Selanne or [Jari] Kurri at the same age? How can you say that? What I can tell you is he’s accomplished more to this point than any Finn before him. The World Championship is equal to the Stanley Cup here. He was MVP of the worlds. He’s 18. We haven’t seen that before.â€

...

“I think the Leafs are right to draft Matthews,†says Edmonton-based Finnish hockey writer Jouni Nieminen. “They need a centre and he’s a cornerstone player. But I don’t think anyone should be surprised if one day they look at Laine and wish they had him. He may turn out to be a very special player in the NHL.â€

TSN analyst and longtime NHL forward Ray Ferraro got his first up close look at Laine at the 2016 World Junior Championship and his second at the World Championship. Laine caught Ferraro’s eyes against the boys, but made them pop against the men.

“He’s a powerful kid who probably doesn’t realize yet what he has in his toolbox,†Ferraro said. “Right now it’s all about his shot. Why not? If you popped him into the NHL right now on this day, he’s got a top-five shot in the entire league. His shot is unreal. And it’s not just the one-timer. It’s his wrist shot too. His mechanics and his release are elite.

“You know how some guys just hit the golf ball farther than anyone else and you don’t know why? Well, that’s this kid and his shot. But he’s going to figure out he has more than just the shot. He’s almost 6-5 and his reach is Mario [Lemieux]-like. When he puts his body between you and the puck and extends his arms, you’re seven feet away from the puck. It’s impossible to take the puck from him. I’ll say this: He really won me over at the worlds.â€

...
Click to expand...


http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/patrik-laine-oozing-confidence-thinks-go-no-1-overall/
Patrik Laine oozing confidence, thinks he should go No. 1 overall
Kristina Rutherford June 3, 2016, 4:27 PM

BUFFALO – Patrik Laine doesn’t even wait to hear the end of the question. It begins: ‘If you were an NHL GM and you had to draft…’

“Me,†Laine says. “Me.†He pretty well guessed where that one was going.

...

The 18-year-old Finn is sitting in the stands at the Buffalo Sabres practice facility, here for the NHL Combine along with 113 other top prospects. Of all these players, it’s American Auston Matthews and Laine, who—as you’ve no doubt heard by now—are considered the No. 1 and 2 picks in the NHL Draft later this month.

The order of 1-2 varies, depending who you ask. And if you ask Laine, the answer is clear.

First, the blonde-haired winger hears out the rest of the question: ‘As a GM, who would you rank first, second and third overall in the draft, in order?’

“Me,†he says, again. “Matthews and [Jesse] Puljujarvi.†As a GM, Laine says, “I would trade to get Puljujarvi to my team.†The more Finns the better.

Laine, of course, isn’t an NHL GM. Far from it. He’s the star winger who has had such an extraordinary season—he won MVP at the World Championship and put up the most points by any draft-eligible player there, ever—that he’s made Matthews, once considered a shoo-in to go No. 1 overall, less of a certainty.

Some scouts say the only reason Matthews should go ahead of Laine on June 24 is because the American is a centreman, and Laine plays wing.

Laine is six-foot-four—“almost six-five,†he says—and owner of a blistering shot. He’s confident in his abilities, sure, but he didn’t expect this past season to go as well as it did. He was recently named to the Finnish World Cup team, and won the Jari Kurri Trophy as playoff MVP after his championship season in the Finnish Elite League with Tappera Tampere.

It was during the end of his season with Tampere that Laine says he felt his game had reached another level.

“I was playing well and getting points and goals, and of course those pro leagues playoffs that I got the MVP award and we won the championships,†he says. “I think then I realized I’ve been playing pretty well.â€

...

Laine is funny. Ask him if he ever thought about switching from the wing to centre and he says, “No, I’d have to defend more if I’m centre.â€

He waits a second, then adds: “That’s a joke.â€

He says in his interviews with various NHL teams, he’ll bust out his humour, but it depends on the team: “If they’re staring at me all the time, I won’t even try to be funny.â€

And this is his plan for playing regularly against his childhood idol, Alex Ovechkin: “I’ll hit him.â€

...

“I’m pretty confident with myself,†he says. “I’ve done my work on the ice as best as I can. Now the team has to make the choice and I can’t really do anything about that any more.â€

...
Click to expand...



Some trivia:

https://www.nhl.com/news/5-things-patrick-laine-draft-prospect/c-280871180
5 things you should know about Patrik Laine
Top 2016 NHL Draft prospect provides insight into upbringing, memorable 2015-16 season
by Mike G. Morreale @mikemorrealeNHL / NHL.com Staff Writer
June 2nd, 2016

...

Laine wouldn't mind being compared with Matthews when each reaches the NHL.

"It's nice to have those one or two players that are pushing you forward, players you're kind of competing with," he said. "I want to play my own game, and if [Matthews] succeeds, good for him. It's nice to know that players my age are able to do so well. Comparing is good."

...

1. If not for his father, Laine would have been a goaltender.

Laine: "I started playing hockey when I was 4 and I played goalie. We all took turns at different positions, and when it was my turn to play goalie, I really liked it. I was better in goal than I was at other positions, I guess because I was so big. But my father (Harri) told me to switch for good when I was 12, so I stayed as a goalie for a pretty long time.

"Nowadays, I have to be grateful to dad for making that choice. He was always giving me the right advice, and I'm glad I listened to him then."

2. Laine's most memorable moment of the season was winning the Liiga championship.

Laine: "Winning our pro-league championship meant so much and was so great. The guys had won three silver medals in a row, so it was quite huge for everyone on that team. It was a big thing for me because it was my normal home team. When you're with those guys all day and win together, it just means so much. We were a good team and I think every player brought something to the table to make it a special season. I'll never forget that run in the playoffs for Tappara."

3. Laine's favorite NHL player is Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin.

Laine: "I've been watching Ovechkin since I was a kid. He's been my idol, and I try to copy some of his moves, learn from him. It's just nice to watch him play and score because I love to score. I watch how he shoots from different angles and from how far. He likes to play physical, too, and I've tried to do the same thing with the way I play."

4. Laine worked to perfect his tremendous shot every day, on and off the ice.

Laine: "I learned my shot by practicing it every day, even when I wasn't skating. I had a net in my backyard (in Tampere, Finland), so I shot a lot as a kid. When I was on the ice at practice, I would always stay later after everyone left and keep shooting. That's the only way to get better. You have to make sacrifices to be the best."

5. Laine believes he might one day score 50 goals in the NHL.

Laine: "I think I can do that. I think I have the ability and that talent that you need and the skills that you need to score that many goals and points. I think it someday could be possible and I want to work hard so that I can make that come true one day."
Click to expand...
Click to read more...
 
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Lempo

Lempo

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As an occasional poster of semi-lengthy posts, Sir, I salute you on having to have a Table of Contents on your OP.
 
Plural

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FrozenJagrt said:
Sundin's shot arsenal was much better. He could pick corners from anywhere in the ice with a wrister, slapper or backhand.
Click to expand...

Definitely was not better. This coming from a guy who feared Sundin the most out of any players when he played against our NT.
 
Gsus

Gsus

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FrozenJagrt said:
Sundin's shot arsenal was much better. He could pick corners from anywhere in the ice with a wrister, slapper or backhand.
Click to expand...

I'm not sure if you've seen his highlights, but Laine is special at this too. His backhand is yet to be judged since he doesn't use it that much.
 
The Winter Soldier

The Winter Soldier

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Apr 4, 2011
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I don't think Laine can be defined by just one player.

Though I consider it a compliment by Button to compare him to Brett Hull. http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/video/laine-good-enough-to-be-compared-to-brett-hull~883708

I saw Hull play, and he was just about the most natural goal scorer there was in the history of the game, next to Mike Bossy. Think that would be a tough act to follow. Perhaps if Laine reaches his absolute ceiling. But that would be quite the achievement to be placed next to Hull. So let's wait and see on that one.

Sundin never scored 50 goals and he played in a time when scoring was up. I think Laine will be a better goal scorer than Sundin was. Sundin the better playmaker. Ovie a player that Laine is often compared to, other than the one timer is not a good comparable to me either. They don't play the same stylistically.

I see Laine as a unique entity all to himself. The NHL has not seen a player of his skillset yet.

IMO He takes parts of the best players that have played. I see individual parts of his game that other players possess. Parts of Sundin, Jagr, Hull, Carter, Ovie, Lemiux's games that he has incorporated in himself.

Which makes him a very rare prospect, and IMO the best prospect available in the 2016 draft.
 
ps241

ps241

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Channelcat said:
Ughhh Pekka Ketola sounds like a bit of a moron....I could just be suffering from Finn overexposure though.

I do however think he's right about one thing, you can always count on the Leafs to do the wrong thing ex: draft Laine 1st.
Click to expand...

I don't know I think their new management are doing allot of things right currently.
 
BB88

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I really hope we Finns stop pushing Laine to be the 1st overall pick and start looking beyond that.

It's just a number and Jets future looks to be among the brightest in the league, Toronto is allowed to pick anyone they want, and choosing Matthews won't mean they are idiots.

This is just so short sided thinking, I've seen Laine as a Jets for weeks and couldn't be happier for him.
 

ijuka

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May 14, 2016
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BB88 said:
I really hope we Finns stop pushing Laine to be the 1st overall pick and start looking beyond that.

It's just a number and Jets future looks to be among the brightest in the league, Toronto is allowed to pick anyone they want, and choosing Matthews won't mean they are idiots.

This is just so short sided thinking, I've seen Laine as a Jets for weeks and couldn't be happier for him.
Click to expand...

While I think that Laine is the best player in the draft, that doesn't mean I at least am pushing him for #1. I think that he'd have a much better time with Jets.

I also think that it'll be entertaining to see the reactions of everything when Laine ends up being the significantly better player so it's a win-win.
 
Canucks LB

Canucks LB

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This kid has some serious character issues.

Hopefully the guy clues in considering how elite of a talent he really is.

See the most recent thing he said about austin?
 
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