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

JA · May 22, 2016

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

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.

1. Highlights: footage from Patrik Laine's 2015-16 season.

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.

http://thehockeywriters.com/patrik-laine-named-finnish-playoff-mvp/

Patrik Laine Named Finnish Playoff MVP
April 26th, 2016
BY Dustin L. Nelson

The Finnish season concluded Tuesday with Tappara Tampere taking the championship in a 2-1 Game 6 win over HIFK. It’s Tappara’s first championship since 2003. Their young star Patrik Laine was named the winner of the 2016 Jari Kurri Trophy for playoff MVP.

Laine is a 2016-draft eligible forward who has been tearing up the Finnish league at a very young age.

Through 18 playoff games, Laine posted 10 goals and 15 points. He was tied for third overall in points and led Tappara. His 10 goals led all players in the postseason.

Laine, a Tampere native, turned 18 just last week and though he ranks behind Auston Matthews in most 2016 draft rankings, placing him at the second overall prospect in this summer’s draft, he has almost a full year less pro experience than Matthews.

During the regular season Laine scored 17 goals and 33 points through 46 games, but was notably improving as the season moved forward. He also had two goals and four points through eight Champions Hockey League games for Tappara.

The 6-foot-4 forward was a key piece of Finland’s gold medal win at the 2016 World Junior Championship when he and fellow 2016 draft eligible forward Jesse Puljujarvi set records with an impressive offensive performance that ended in Puljujarvi becoming the youngest player to win MVP of the World Junior Championship.

In seven games there, Laine scored seven goals and 13 points.

Laine is expected to join the Finnish National Team for the upcoming World Championship being held in Moscow and St. Petersburg, Russia.

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

http://www.tsn.ca/laine-sets-record-as-finland-beats-hungry-1.487989

Laine sets record as Finland beats Hungary
May 11
TSN.ca Staff

Patrik Laine needed just four games at the World Hockey Championship to become the highest-scoring 18-year-old in tournament history.

http://news.nationalpost.com/sports/nhl/patrik-laine-making-the-most-of-his-last-audition-before-nhl-draft

Patrik Laine making the most of his last audition before NHL draft
Michael Traikos | May 8, 2016 2:09 PM ET

While it still makes a lot of sense for the Leafs to fill an obvious need at centre and select Auston Matthews, who entered the season as the consensus No. 1 prospect, a Taylor versus Tyler type of debate is starting to form as the league inches closer to the June 24 NHL draft.

If anything, this is no longer the easy decision it once appeared to be.

...

The 6-foot-3 and 200-pound Laine scored two goals and one assist in his world championship debut against Belarus on Friday night. Two days later, he followed it up with another two goals and an assist in a 5-1 win against Germany on Sunday. He leads the tournament in goals and points — a remarkable feat considering he celebrated his 18th birthday three weeks ago.

Columbus Blue Jackets GM Jarmo Kekalainen, who has the No. 3 pick in the draft, said Laine’s ability to dominate against older and more experienced players “is something that I don’t ever remember seeing.” Added Finnish goalie Mikko Koskinen: “It’s unbelievable to see how good he is at that age. There are no words.”

...

Laine, who tied Matthews with a tournament-leading seven goals in seven games at the world juniors and then was named playoff MVP after winning a Finnish league championship, continues to show that he is every bit as dangerous a sniper as his idol, Alex Ovechkin, was at this age.

At the very least, the gap between he and Matthews continues to shrink. If it were a team other than Toronto picking first, which did not have such a void at centre, maybe Laine would have overtaken Matthews by now. Maybe that is already happening.

“I don’t think anybody has their mind’s made up yet,” Kekalainen said. “I can’t speak for the other teams, but I know that we have a lot of homework to do.”

In other words, forget Winnipeg. Maybe Laine should start talking about Toronto.

Shift highlights from Laine's big performance vs Canada (considered to be his best game of the tournament):

http://www.thehockeynews.com/blog/super-teen-laine-hobbled-in-world-championship-by-garbage-play/

Super teen Patrik Laine hobbled in World Championship by ‘garbage play’
By: Ken Campbell on May 17, 2016

To these eyes, it was difficult to determine exactly what Corey Perry’s level of intent was when he clipped Patrik Laine of Finland with his left leg when he was coming off for a line change in today’s World Championship game.

So I will defer to the observations of two former NHL players who have more than 2,000 games between them. And the fact that both Ray Ferraro and Bob Errey are analysts for the Canada-centric TSN broadcasts and lambasted Perry for his skullduggery provide further perspective on the situation.

“(Perry) sticks his left leg out,” Ferraro observed on the TSN telecast. “It’s a garbage play. You just can’t do that. Corey Perry would lose his mind if Patrik Laine did that to him. That’s just a dirty play. I don’t like it.”

Then when asked during the second intermission what he thought of the play, Errey said, “I didn’t like it, either. It was unnecessary, no question.”

So if we accept Ferraro’s and Errey’s assessments of the situation, that’s despicable. The Canadian squad focused much of its physical play on Laine for much of the game, which is understandable since he might be the best player in the tournament, and that’s just fine. A player who is that dynamic and offensively dangerous should expect to not be given a free pass. But to resort to that kind of play to neutralize a teenager and future NHL star is exactly what Ferraro called it – a garbage play.

...

Laine has been a beast in this tournament, leading the World Championship. Despite being held off the scoresheet in the Finns 4-0 win over Canada, he was a force almost every time he was on the ice. With six goals and 10 points, he leads his team in both categories and sits third in tournament scoring. He is proving to be every bit as good against men in this tournament as he was against teenagers in the World Junior Championship. The Winnipeg Jets, to whom Laine will almost certainly fall at second overall in the draft, have got to be seriously licking their chops at the moment.

http://www.thescore.com/nhl/news/1028688

Laine takes Perry's leg-trip as a compliment to his talent
by Craig Hagerman May 17, 9:02 PM

Finland forward Patrik Laine has no hard feelings towards Canada's Corey Perry.

The 18-year-old - who is projected to be selected in the top-2 at this year's NHL Entry Draft - was the victim of a leg-trip from the Anaheim Ducks forward in Tuesday's contest, but feels he brought the incident on himself with his skill.

"Maybe they tried to piss me off because I’m young and in my opinion a pretty good player," Laine said, according to Michael Traikos of the National Post.

Laine had the last laugh as Finland danced to a 4-0 win over Canada and finished atop the Group B standings heading into the quarterfinals.

http://www.tsn.ca/hockey-canada/video/ferraro-on-laine-i-think-that-was-his-best-game-of-the-tournament~872126

Ferraro on Laine: ''I think that was his best game of the tournament''

Despite being held pointless against Team Canada, Ray Ferraro says that he thinks it was Patrik Laine best game of the World Hockey Championship.

Against Canada in their round robin match, he looked a little bit more like the Patrik Laine we saw in the Liiga playoffs. He drew all of the attention from Team Canada.

Laine was third in 2016 World Championship tournament scoring at the end of the round robin phase with 6 goals, 4 assists, 10 points in 7 games.

Laine finished the tournament with 7 goals, 5 assists, 12 points in 10 games. He was named the tournament MVP, a member of the tournament All-Star team, was awarded the IIHF Directorate Award for Best Forward of the tournament, and won the silver medal with Team Finland. He finished the tournament tied for the goal-scoring lead and was fourth in tournament point scoring. He also achieved the second-highest point total by a U-19 player at a World Championship tournament, behind only Sidney Crosby's 2006 tournament total of 16 points.

http://thehockeywriters.com/patrik-laine-named-mvp-world-championship/

Patrik Laine Named MVP of World Championship
May 22nd, 2016
BY Dustin L. Nelson

Though he didn’t get the result he was hoping for in the gold medal match Sunday, 18-year-old Finnish forward Patrik Laine won MVP of the 2016 IIHF World Championship.

Laine put up the second most points by a U19 player in history with 12 points in 10 games, just short of Sidney Crosby’s 16 points. His seven goals were the most by any player in the tournament, and his 12 points ranked fourth.

Laine was also named the tournament’s top forward by the IIHF directorate.

He adds this tournament to an incredible World Junior Tournament and a playoff MVP honor in the Finnish playoffs.

Additionally, Canada’s Mike Matheson was named the top defenseman in the tournament and Finnish goaltender Mikko Kosikinen was named goaltender of the tournament.

http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/gm-mark-scheifele-patrik-laine-auston-matthews-world-championship-winnipeg-jets-no-2-draft/

Mark Scheifele compares ‘outrageous’ Laine to Matthews
Luke Fox May 24, 2016, 2:42 PM

Mark Scheifele saw something in potential future Winnipeg Jets linemate Patrik Laine at the 2016 IIHF World Championship.

“He’s pretty unbelievable. He’s obviously young, and sometimes you can tell that, but his skill level [and] his shot is outrageous. He skates really well,” Scheifele told Hockey Central at Noon Tuesday.

The Jets won the second-overall draft pick in the lottery, and after his MVP performance at the worlds, Laine is a virtual lock to get snapped up by Winnipeg on June 24.

“You can tell he’s going to be a very special player,” Scheifele said. “I know if we end up getting him, he’ll definitely be a huge improvement to our team. He’ll fit in well for sure.”

"I like to think everyone can play with me," Scheifele half-joked, noting Laine's underrated vision and playmaking ability. "He also sees the ice really well. That's something people might overlook on him — that passing ability."

Scheifele pointed to this saucer pass Laine made in the semifinal against Russia as especially impressive:

...

Presumed No. 1 overall Matthews, Scheifele observed, is a forward of a different mold.

"He plays the game totally different than Laine. Laine's a little bit more of a sniper, reads the ice really well and [finds] spots where he can get off a shot quickly or goes to the net easily. He has an unbelievable set of hands on him as well," Scheifele said.

...

Here is a demonstration of some of Laine's skills with his stick:

Laine played a total of 104 games during the 2015-16 hockey season.

He has been confirmed for Team Finland at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey in September 2016.

http://www.iltalehti.fi/jaakiekko/2016052721632859_jk.shtml
http://www.thehockeynews.com/blog/more-patrik-laine-finland-gives-us-what-we-want-with-world-cup-roster/

More Patrik Laine! Finland gives us what we want with World Cup roster
By: Ryan Kennedy on May 27, 2016

Given how important the youth have been to Finland this year, it’s probably not a shocker that the final seven roster spots for the nation’s World Cup of Hockey team skew young. But it is nice to see the kids rewarded.

Leading the way is everyone’s favorite kinetic force, right winger Patrik Laine.

...

*added today

G Mikko Koskinen, SKA St. Petersburg (KHL) *
G Tuukka Rask, Boston Bruins
G Pekka Rinne, Nashville Predators

D Jyrki Jokipakka, Calgary Flames *
D Sami Lepisto, Salavat Yulaev Ufa (KHL) *
D Esa Lindell, Dallas Stars
D Olli Maatta, Pittsburgh Penguins
D Ville Pokka, Rockford IceHogs (AHL) *
D Rasmus Ristolainen, Buffalo Sabres
D Sami Vatanen, Anaheim Ducks

F Sebastian Aho, Karpat Oulu (SM-liiga) *
F Aleksander Barkov, Florida Panthers
F Joonas Donskoi, San Jose Sharks
F Valtteri Filppula, Tampa Bay Lightning
F Mikael Granlund, Minnesota Wild
F Erik Haula, Minnesota Wild *
F Jussi Jokinen, Florida Panthers
F Mikko Koivu, Minnesota Wild
F Leo Komarov, Toronto Maple Leafs
F Lauri Korpikoski, Edmonton Oilers
F Patrik Laine, Tappara Tempere (SM-liiga) *
F Jori Lehtera, St. Louis Blues
F Teuvo Teravainen, Chicago Blackhawks

2016 NHL Combine media scrum:

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.”

...

“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.”

...

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

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.”

...

“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.”

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.”

...

2. Laine trending upward: scouts' comments

Laine and Matthews are at the point where the scale may very well tip in favor of whichever one performs better at the Worlds. We have had an entire year's worth of hockey to assess these two players.

JetsAlternate said:
stavs said:

JetsAlternate said:

We haven't been assessing these two players based only on the Worlds, though.

We have had an entire year's worth of hockey to judge these two players.

With each passing game, Laine continues to impress with his consistency on the score sheet. This extends all the way back to the Liiga playoffs, where I had already made my decision that he was the best player in this draft class and others were on the fence.

Nothing about Laine's recent performances has changed my mind, whereas many people who once favored Matthews are thinking twice about where they stand with regards to these two players.

I'm not basing my judgment on this tournament alone; I'm basing it on his entire year with a keen eye on when his play will tail off -- it hasn't. It isn't a hot streak, but rather a continuation of his top-notch production over the past few months. Matthews has to prove to me why he is better than Laine because I had made my decision back when both were still playing in their respective leagues. Laine still leads the tournament in scoring.

I saw him drive that second line with JÃ¤rvinen and Peltola back in Liiga. I saw him make that powerplay with Kuusela and Lajunen deadly. At his best, Laine is making everything happen on the ice, ragging the puck around and creating unthinkable chances by himself.

Click to expand...

In that case i think Matthews had the better regular season and Laine had the better playoffs, however it is unfair to Matthews just as its unfair to Puljujarvi that they didnt get to showcase their talents as much as Laine where he was the only one garnering interest while the other players were sidelined awaiting another opportunity to play. Matthews had a very good playoffs, but Crawford got out coached plain and simple. It's one of the reasons why he's still not a head coach in the NHL. Puljujarvi despite having a better PPG than Laine in the first 2 rounds did not go to the finals and instead played in another tournament yet again this year. Laine ceased the moment and won MVP and good for him he deserved it. But if you look at Dubas' analytics video, he stresses the need to look at what players have done usually over a years time. Matthews has been dazzling scouts for the longest time, and while i can see Laine's surge to challenge for #1 seems to be turning heads, I don't think the Leafs really think twice here about who they are going to take.

Click to expand...

I certainly think that Matthews had a better regular season, but he was already far more polished when he arrived in NLA. Remember, he was deemed NHL-ready in September and missed the 2015 NHL Draft cutoff date by two days. He also hasn't made huge strides from start to finish.

Laine only found his game after the World Juniors. He played much of the first half of the season in the bottom six with players like Stephen Dixon, and it was agreed that he was held back all year by his linemates and, in the first half of the season, by his lack of ice time. Tappara is a team that severely lacks depth. He played part of the second half on the second line with centerman Arttu IlomÃ¤ki, who by the postseason had become a fourth-line forward. Jan-Mikael JÃ¤rvinen, another mediocre player, became his centerman in February. He remained on the second line throughout the playoffs until Coach Tapola finally put him on the first line in Game 4 of the Finals against HIFK, although he had already been the primary target for the opposition to shut down throughout the entire postseason and late in the regular season.

I would describe his improvements as extremely rapid -- exponential is a good word for it. McKeen's termed it "rocket-like development," while one HF poster in April described him as experiencing months' worth of improvement on a game-to-game basis. I agree with that assessment.

Matthews had the better regular season, but Laine's surge in development has elevated him to that same level and perhaps even higher at this point. The Patrik Laine who began the season is not the one who ended it, and certainly not the one who was named MVP of the playoffs. He single-handedly took down second-ranked KÃ¤rpÃ¤t, who in each of the past two Finals crushed Tappara's hopes. Then he was a major force in the Finals against top-ranked HIFK, who were a far superior team with greater talent.

http://news.nationalpost.com/sports/finlands-jesse-puljujarvi-patrik-laine-improve-draft-rankings-after-gold-medal-performance-at-world-juniors

Finland’s Jesse Puljujarvi, Patrik Laine improve draft rankings after gold medal at world juniors
Michael Traikos | January 5, 2016 | Last Updated: Jan 6 6:40 AM ET

HELSINKI — At least one scout said he changed his mind.

Before the world junior championship had begun, he had Auston Matthews as the clear-cut No. 1 draft-eligible prospect. Two weeks later, he was no longer so sure.

“I think the two kids from Finland might have moved past him,” said the Eastern Conference-based scout, who did not want his name used. “Or at least put themselves in the conversation.”

Chances are he is not alone.

...

Either way, the 2016 NHL Entry Draft has become more than just a one-horse race.

“I think they pushed themselves to another level,” said Mark Hunter, Leafs director of player personnel. “But I mean, do we stand back and watch and say one tournament is going to make a season for somebody? I have to agree that you don’t. But they sure have been really good and it’s been a pleasure to watch.”

Indeed, the Finns were the perfect hosts. They not only filled the arenas for nearly every game, but their team played as though it was concerned with putting on a show. Puljujarvi and Laine scored dazzling goals, drawing praise from Teemu Selanne, who said they are “super talented and fun to watch.”

...

“Of course, that feels good if scouts are talking about me like that,” said Laine. “Now, I will just keep going and play the same as here and hope the results will be just as good.”

http://www.mckeenshockey.com/prospects-blog/mckeens-2016-top-30-nhl-draft-rankings-jan-2016/

McKeen’s 2016 Top 30 NHL Draft Rankings (Jan-2016)
By McKeen's Hockey On January 16, 2016

McKeen’s top ranked prospect isn’t the “consensus” number one for the 2016 NHL draft, a distinction that has been bestowed upon Auston Matthews for the past year or more, yet Finland’s Patrik Laine has served notice to the scouting world that the decision on who goes first overall will not be an easy one, and that he is in the discussion.

“He’s the first prospect that reminds me of Mario (Lemieux) since Mario,” noted one senior NHL scout who was blown away by Laine’s performance at the WJC over the holidays, where the 6-4 left winger compiled seven goals and six assists in seven games while leading Finland to a Gold Medal victory at home.

“It’s ballsy to have him rated number one, but can’t say I disagree… he could be a home run.”

Laine is six months younger, three inches taller, and has outscored Matthews 29 goals to 19 in international play over the past three years. Up until now, Matthews had been considered the better prospect, but that wasn’t the case at the WJC, where Laine quite simply was the dominant offensive force from tournament start to finish along with linemate and fellow draft prospect Jesse Puljujarvi (ranked third overall).

His size, strength, puck skills, shot and smarts were evident in every game, and as the world juniors went on Laine became more willing to throw his body around as well.

“He competed hard in the big games,” noted one scout. “His point totals slowed down, but his willingness to compete defensively grew as they got closer to winning.”

http://www.mckeenshockey.com/prospects-blog/mckeens-2016-top-30-nhl-draft-rankings-mar-2016/

McKeen’s 2016 Top 30 NHL Draft Rankings (Mar-2016)
By McKeen's Hockey On March 3, 2016

History is about to repeat itself at this summer’s NHL Draft.

Every six years, as it goes, there has been a heated neck-and-neck race between the top two prospects to grab the coveted first-overall spot.

...

Matthews is a ‘clear-cut’ No. 1 pick is many circles, however the staff here at McKeen’s feel that the rocket-like development of Patrik Laine this season has muddied the waters.

Laine made a number of new NHL believers playing recently in his international debut with the senior Finnish national team. “He was exceptional with the national team last week. Plays very well with good players,” said one top NHL scout.

Upon watching Laine’s masterful showing at the U20 World Juniors, another head scout suggested that Laine “reminded him of a young Mario.”

Those fortunate enough to have experienced the NHL career of Magnificant Mario Lemieux will no doubt see certain similarities in the style of Laine. His ability to dangle the puck anywhere within his body range, front, back, and side – combined with an innate sense for where the puck can be protected – is a bit eerily reminiscent of Lemieux.

http://www.mckeenshockey.com/prospects-blog/mckeens-2016-top-30-nhl-draft-rankings-apr-2016/

McKeen’s 2016 Top 30 NHL Draft Rankings (Apr-2016)
By McKeen's Hockey On April 10, 2016

It’s been said many times that Auston Matthews is the “consensus first pick” since last summer, but therein lies the rub.

Scouts, pundits and fans anointed him as the top guy last summer – and in many cases seemingly decided that he would be the top guy in the rankings no matter what.

Well there is a “matter what”…a Finnish fellow named Patrik Laine that has more than a couple of scouts reminiscing about a fellow named Mario Lemieux. It was apparent at the U-20…was noticeable down the stretch in the SM-liiga regular season, and even more apparent during the playoffs – this kid is scary good, and the closest thing comparable to Mario since…..Mario.

“He looks like Mario when he’s carrying the puck,” noted one top scout during the U-20, and he wasn’t alone in that assertion. When asked for a comparison, Teemu Selanne brought up Lemieux as well, and McKeen’s chief amateur scout Grant McCagg was making the correlation between the two even before there were others echoing it…he first made the suggestion early on in the World juniors, and he hasn’t changed his mind. If anything it has only been reconfirmed.

“I can’t honestly recall scouting a forward over 6-4 with a skill set as similar to Mario’s as Laine’s,” says McCagg. “The way he creates space when he has the puck, his hands, his release, his shot, his vision…maybe he’s not quite at Mario’s level…but he’s not that far off. He’s a tier above Rick Nash at the same age…and as we know both Nash and Mario were first overall picks. I have a hard time thinking anyone should be drafted ahead of him even if I really like Matthews a lot…I see a future 50-goal NHL scorer, maybe a 60-goal guy. I don’t see that same upside with Matthews.”

Laine has been sensational for Tappara during the playoffs, almost singlehandedly leading his team to two recent wins with back-to-back two-goal efforts versus Karpat and his chief Finnish competition in the draft in Jesse Puljujarvi. He has scored seven goals in nine playoffs games, two more than anyone else, yet he is still only 17 years old. By comparison, the last Finnish prospect to go top five in the draft, Aleksander Barkov, was held without a goal in the playoffs during his draft year. Just like he did in the U-20 and unlike Matthews, Laine is coming up big when it counts the most.

He has repeated this shooting ability all season long….one of the best releases and shots in recent memory..and that translates well to any league, especially if they shrink the size of goalie equipment. Add in his puckhandling abilities, , vision and soft hands…he projects to be a big-time producer at the NHL level for many years.

...

Rank|Player
1|Patrik Laine
2|Auston Matthews

http://abcnews.go.com/Sports/top-100-prospects-2016-nhl-draft/story?id=39091742

Top 100 prospects for the 2016 NHL draft
By COREY PRONMAN via ESPN
May 13, 2016, 9:26 AM ET

1. Patrik Laine, LW, Tampere (Liiga)
DOB: 4/19/98 | Ht: 6-4 | Wt: 206
GP: 46 | G: 17 | A: 16

Laine is everything you want in a high-skill power forward. First, he's built like a truck at 6-foot-4, 206 pounds, with broad shoulders and great core strength. It's a joy to watch film of Laine shrugging off checks left and right, and easily winning loose puck battles. He's equally adept at being a playmaker as he is being a goal scorer. Laine's offensive IQ is high-end, bordering on elite. He's a very creative puck handler who anticipates pressure well, and knows how to create space for himself. He moves the puck quickly with few errors.

Off the puck, he finds the open seams well, and can launch a scoring chance from almost anywhere on the ice, having probably the best shot in this class. Laine's skating is his one notable flaw, although he's gotten a little quicker from last season. He's average in that area, and I don't think he's going to jet past NHL defensemen. Overall, he's a special forward, someone who could be an elite scoring power winger in the NHL for the next decade.

http://insider.espn.go.com/nhl/insider/story/_/id/15511937/why-patrik-laine-top-prospect-2016-nhl-draft

Why Patrik Laine, not Auston Matthews, is the top NHL draft prospect
May 12, 2016
Corey Pronman
Special to ESPN.com

There is a great debate between favoring Auston Matthews and favoring Patrik Laine as the top overall prospect in the 2016 draft class, and in crafting my top 100 rankings for the class, I landed on Laine.

https://ca.sports.yahoo.com/blogs/jrhockey-buzzing-the-net/nhl-scout--%E2%80%9C-patrik--laine-has-the-biggest-upside-in-the-draft%E2%80%9D-015210279.html

NHL scout: “(Patrik) Laine has the biggest upside in the draft”
By Kelly Friesen
29 April, 2016 9:18 AM
Buzzing The Net

...

“I was pretty sure about (Matthews) him going first overall for nearly all the season, but now I'm not so sure and think the World Championship in Russia will finally decide this race,” says Thomas Roost, a Switzerland-based scout for NHL Central Scouting Service. “This has nothing to do with Matthews' performances, as he performed very well all season long including the playoffs, but Laine did just explode during the WJC U20 in Finland and now in the Finnish playoffs where he grabbed the MVP award and scored a lot of goals in clutch situations.”

It appears the 6-foot-2, 194-pound Matthews is the more polished prospect of the two. Down the road, however, Laine seems to have the advantage in long-term upside if he can enhance his skating ability.

“Personally, I think Laine has the biggest upside in the draft because he is already so effective, although he still has some rough edges in his play and I think he still can improve his skating a bit more than Matthews,” says Roost. “If all this happens, I guess Laine has the slightly higher ceiling.”

On top of a higher long-term ceiling, the 6-foot-4, 209-pound Laine has the edge in clutch play. In addition to coming up big for Finland at the 2016 world junior championship, he was named the Finnish League playoff MVP this week following scoring 10 goals and 15 points in 18 games.

“Laine is a high-end shooter and has a huge wingspan going with a soft pair of hands plus Laine showed already that he can be at his best in clutch situations,” says Roost. “Matthews also played pretty well in important games and situations, but he didn't level up his plays in these situations as Laine did more than once.”

Nevertheless, since No. 1 centres tend to be harder to find than high-end wingers, Matthews’ position gives him an edge on Laine. It could ultimately push the lottery winner to take the former ZSC Lion, especially if the club lacks size down the middle.

“I still think that this is a real factor because the level of difference is so small when all is said and done, so going for a centermen might still be the difference,” says the scout. “Having a high-end centre is a bit more important than to have a high-end winger in the eyes of most hockey experts”

...

Roost scouted Matthews all season long in Switzerland. This was also said before the Worlds, where Laine is tied for the tournament lead in scoring right now, ahead of all Team Canada players.

More on Roost's observations of Matthews here: http://hfboards.mandatory.com/showpost.php?p=118332583&postcount=450

Dennis Schellenberg, a Swiss scout for Future Considerations and defender of Matthews' early postseason exit, tweeted this a few weeks ago:

Dennis Schellenberg
@ScoutingFactory

Swiss Scout at @FChockey, EU prospect analyst @HProspectus, Prospect contributor @TheHockeyWriter, owner http:// scouting- factory . blogspot . com

In February, on Bob McKenzie's midterm survey, there was a 50-50 split between scouts who felt it was easy to consider Matthews the #1 choice, and those who felt it was a very tough call.

February: 10/10 Matthews at #1; 50% easy decision, 50% tough call (aka 5 scouts who could have gone with Laine in February).

http://www.tsn.ca/tsn-mid-season-draft-ranking-topped-by-big-three-1.435206

TSN Mid-Season Draft Ranking topped by Big Three
Feb 8
By Bob McKenzie

...

Matthews, obviously, is the heavy favorite to be taken first overall at the draft in Buffalo on June 24, but it’s not an absolute slam dunk, despite going for 10 for 10 with our panel of scouts.

We asked those 10 scouts if Matthews at No. 1 was an “easy call” or “had to think long and hard about it.”

They were pretty much evenly split.

In April, two of the previous "tough call" scouts who once had Matthews at #1 decided to rank Laine #1 in April. The three remaining "tough call" scouts sat on their "tough call" stance, and we don't know if any others went from "easy call for Matthews" to "tough call."

April: 8/10 Matthews at #1; 2/10 Laine at #1; others saying "tough call" to rank Matthews at #1 (presumably, the same 3 scouts who said "tough call" in February or more).

http://www.tsn.ca/laine-closes-gap-on-matthews-atop-tsn-draft-rankings-1.478128

Laine closes gap on Matthews atop TSN draft rankings
Apr 27
By Bob McKenzie

...

This time, in a survey of the same 10 scouts – conducted in the run-up to Saturday's NHL draft lottery – two of the 10 said Laine is now No. 1 on their team's lists. Others suggested they had to think long and hard about their decision to keep Matthews at No. 1.

Laine is trending upward, and this tournament might make a few more of the "tough call" scouts who have Matthews at #1 reconsider which player to rank first overall. If all five of those "tough call" scouts in February decide to rank Laine first overall in the final survey, the result will be 50-50. There might even be more switching over.

There is a decent chance that all five scouts who said "tough call" in February rank Laine at #1 in June on McKenzie's final survey.

There is also the possibility that at least one of the remaining five scouts has a change of opinion, which would tip the scale in favor of Laine.

JetsAlternate said:
At least 3 of the 8 scouts who ranked Matthews at #1 were "on the fence" as of February. The other two who were on the fence in February jumped to the other side in April.

It's not out of the question that those other three, if not more, might jump to the other side as well by June. The Swiss scouts for the Central Scouting and Future Considerations have said that Laine has closed the gap, and their job has obviously been to assess Matthews all year.

Of course, that doesn't even account for the many European scouts who have Laine ahead of Matthews.

Auston Matthews may very well not be the consensus choice for first overall in June. TSN certainly would no longer use the word "consensus" if Bob McKenzie's June survey has those three "on the fence" scouts jumping to the other side.

Meanwhile, McKenzie has reported that a lot of NHL teams' European scouts have had Laine ranked ahead of Matthews all season long.

9:20 of this TSN 1040 podcast excerpt from May 5, 2016, Bob McKenzie talks about the European scouts and Laine:

https://soundcloud.com/tsn-radio-vancouver/mckenzie-equal-upside-between-dubios-and-tkachuk

10:40:

Bob McKenzie:

"I've talked to a number of teams that have told me that their European scouts all season long, not just after this playoffs that Laine has had, have had Laine ahead of Matthews. . . . I do know that a lot of NHL teams have noted to me that their European scouts all season long have had Laine ahead of Matthews, so it's not a ludicrous notion that some people think that Laine could be better than Matthews, but we'll see where it goes, and as I said, I still think the Leafs are more leaning towards the big center as opposed to the big winger, but they've got another, almost a couple of months before they make a decision, and they've got three weeks of great hockey to put into the hopper."

http://news.nationalpost.com/sports/nhl/he-takes-over-games-patrik-laine-not-auston-matthews-might-be-nhl-drafts-true-no-1

‘He takes over games’: Patrik Laine, not Auston Matthews, might be NHL draft’s true No. 1
Michael Traikos | April 27, 2016 | Last Updated: Apr 28 8:23 AM ET

TORONTO — Nick Plastino was technically having lunch when his phone rang. Based on how late he was up the previous night, it was more like a belated breakfast.

Many, many hours earlier, the Canadian-born defenceman had won the Finnish league championship with Tappara Tampere . . .

The party was possible only because of Patrik Laine.

The teenaged forward, who only turned 18 last week, scored the game’s first goal in the 2-1 win against HIFK in Game 6 on Tuesday night and finished the playoffs with 10 goals and 15 points in 18 games.

“He was an absolute monster,” Plastino said of Laine, who won the Jari Kurri Trophy as playoff MVP. “He was definitely the best player on the ice. He’s just unbelievable. Any team would love to have him.”

One scout for a non-playoff team said he would pick Laine ahead of Matthews. Another scout said the gap between the top three players is so slim that it might be easier to pick second because you don’t “have to make a choice that you’ll regret.”

At the start of the season, few had heard of Laine or Puljujarvi — fewer could pronounce or spell their names — partly because both were playing in Finland. But the other reason is that, especially in the case of Laine, his game has evolved significantly in the last four or five months.

“At first, to be honest, he didn’t stand out to me,” Plastino said of Laine, who finished the regular season with 17 goals and 33 points in 46 games.

“I didn’t know anything about him and he just looked like a young kid. But during the season he definitely showed signs of being a special player.”

...

“He definitely turned a corner with that junior tournament,” Plastino said of Laine. “You could just see it with his play. He was braver with the puck. He wanted to make plays rather than just dump it in. He trusted his abilities more.”

Unlike Matthews — who went without a point in the final two games and failed to advance the U.S. past Russia in the world junior semifinals, and whose club team was upset in the first round of the Swiss playoffs — Laine and Puljujarvi have beefed up their resumÃ©s as big-game players.

“I go back to Game 5 of the second round against Karpat,” said Plastino. “They scored with three minutes left in the game and we got a power play and, with a minute left, (Laine) got the puck on the half wall and he found the corner. It was just amazing. He’s the kind of guy that can change the game with his shot. On the power play, we were pretty much told to give him the puck and let him do the rest. . . . He can hit hard, can shoot hard, can really do it all. He takes over games.”

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.”

...

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.”

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

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.”

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

...

“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.”

...

3. Additional commentary about Laine's 2015-16 Tappara season -- linemates and scoring logs.

Laine's place in the Tappara lineup throughout the 2015-16 season:

http://hfboards.mandatory.com/showpost.php?p=117300575&postcount=230

JetsAlternate said:
Well, Laine actually played a significant part of the season, post-World Junior Championship, with Arttu IlomÃ¤ki and Jukka Peltola on the second line.

IlomÃ¤ki is not a good player. Tappara seriously lacks depth.

In late February, the team swapped out IlomÃ¤ki for Jan-Mikael JÃ¤rvinen, and then for the entirety of the playoffs it's been Laine, JÃ¤rvinen, and Peltola on a line together.

Laine was finally placed on the top line today. IlomÃ¤ki is now a fourth line winger! JÃ¤rvinen has been just as useless.

Tappara has been posting game-day lineups from its official Twitter since January 7, 2016.

http://hfboards.mandatory.com/showpost.php?p=117301445&postcount=234

JetsAlternate said:
BB88 said:

On the 1st half if I remember right I watched his game averages and he averaged 3rd line minutes and after WJC his icetime started to go up and his average for whole season was 2nd line minutes(17.16).

If he was playing 18+ mins throughout the season with the best linemates and 1st pp time I bet the numbers would look a bit different.

Click to expand...

There's no question that the World Junior Championship would have propped him up to the second line; as this is his rookie season with Tappara, he probably started the season in a rather minor role. He did not have a very noteworthy season with LeKi last year.

According to Jatkoaika, he logged a lot of time with Veli-Matti Savinainen and Jere Karjalainen earlier this season. He also logged some ice time with Stephen Dixon. Those are Tappara's bottom-six players. By the publication date, though -- January 11, 2016 -- Laine had played more time with IlomÃ¤ki, JÃ¤rvinen, and Peltola.

http://www.jatkoaika.com/Artikkeli/statistical-analysis-from-the-finnish-league-jesse-puljuj%C3%A4rvi-and-patrik-laine/174753

Patrik Laine's 2015-16 Liiga regular season and playoff scoring logs with Tappara.

Eurohockey has all of his Liiga scoring logs from the 2015-16 season.

http://www.eurohockey.com/player/546723-patrik-laine.html

Regular season goal credits:

Patrik Laine (Teemu Aalto, Jan-Mikael JÃ¤rvinen) [PPG] (Sep. 19 2015)
Patrik Laine (Arttu IlomÃ¤ki, Alexander Bonsaksen) (Sep. 24 2015)
Patrik Laine (Arttu IlomÃ¤ki, Jere Karjalainen) (Sep. 25 2015)
Patrik Laine (Nick Plastino, Veli-Matti Savinainen) [PPG] (Sep. 29 2015)
Patrik Laine (Kristian Kuusela, Jani Lajunen) [PPG] (Nov. 19 2015)
Patrik Laine (Teemu Aalto, Kristian Kuusela) [PPG-2] (Nov. 25 2015)
Patrik Laine (Jan-Mikael JÃ¤rvinen) (Nov. 28 2015)
Patrik Laine (Teemu Aalto, Kristian Kuusela) [PPG] (Nov. 28 2015)
Patrik Laine (Jere Karjalainen, Teemu Aalto) [PPG] (Jan. 23 2016)
Patrik Laine (Arttu IlomÃ¤ki, Jukka Peltola) (Jan. 23 2016)
Patrik Laine (Kristian Kuusela, Arttu IlomÃ¤ki) (Jan. 23 2016)
Patrik Laine (Kristian Kuusela, Teemu Aalto) [PPG] (Jan. 26 2016)
Patrik Laine (Arttu IlomÃ¤ki) (Jan. 30 2016)
Patrik Laine (Feb. 18 2016)
Patrik Laine (Jan-Mikael JÃ¤rvinen) (Feb. 20 2016)
Patrik Laine (Kristian Kuusela, Nick Plastino) [PPG] (Feb. 24 2016)
Patrik Laine (Nick Plastino, Kristian Kuusela) [PPG] (Feb. 27 2016)

9 of Laine's 17 regular season goals were powerplay goals. The other 8 were even strength goals.

Playoff goal credits:

Patrik Laine (Nick Plastino) (Mar. 26 2016)
Patrik Laine (Nick Plastino, Kristian Kuusela) [PPG] (Mar. 26 2016)
Patrik Laine (Jani Lajunen, Kristian Kuusela) [PPG] (Apr. 02 2016)
Patrik Laine (Jan-Mikael JÃ¤rvinen, Veli-Matti Savinainen) [PPG-2] (Apr. 07 2016)
Patrik Laine (Jani Lajunen) (Apr. 07 2016)
Patrik Laine (Nick Plastino, Jere Karjalainen) [PPG] (Apr. 09 2016)
Patrik Laine (Juhani Jasu, Kristian Kuusela) [PPG-EA] (Apr. 09 2016)
Patrik Laine (Jan-Mikael JÃ¤rvinen) [EA] (Apr. 11 2016)
Patrik Laine (Apr. 22 2016)
Patrik Laine (Kristian Kuusela) (Apr. 26 2016)

5 of Laine's 10 playoff goals were powerplay goals. The other 5 were even strength goals.

Jan-Mikael JÃ¤rvinen only assisted on three of Laine's 14 goals after being made his centerman. Jukka Peltola only assisted on one of Laine's 19 goals since being made his opposite winger.

That line was garbage. Tappara had no depth at all.

Regular season assist credits:

Jukka Peltola (Patrik Laine, Alexander Bonsaksen) (Sep. 16 2015)
Jere Karjalainen (Arttu IlomÃ¤ki, Patrik Laine) (Sep. 25 2015)
Stephen Dixon (Patrik Laine, Jan-Mikael JÃ¤rvinen) [PPG] (Oct. 31 2015)
Jani Lajunen (Patrik Laine, Teemu Aalto) (Nov. 17 2015)
Kristian Kuusela (Patrik Laine, Aleksi Elorinne) (Nov. 25 2015)
Jani Lajunen (Patrik Laine, Teemu Aalto) (Dec. 12 2015)
Jani Lajunen (Patrik Laine, Teemu Aalto) [PPG] (Dec. 12 2015)
Arttu IlomÃ¤ki (Patrik Laine, Jukka Peltola) [EA] (Dec. 12 2015)
Jere Karjalainen (Patrik Laine, Kristian Kuusela) [PPG] (Jan. 14 2016)
Jere Karjalainen (Patrik Laine, Kristian Kuusela) [PPG] (Jan. 17 2016)
Jukka Peltola (Arttu IlomÃ¤ki, Patrik Laine) (Jan. 26 2016)
Jere Karjalainen (Patrik Laine, Teemu Aalto) [PPG] (Jan. 27 2016)
Jukka Peltola (Arttu IlomÃ¤ki, Patrik Laine) (Jan. 29 2016)
Jani Lajunen (Jere Karjalainen, Patrik Laine) [EA] (Jan. 30 2016)
Nick Plastino (Patrik Laine, Jukka Peltola) (Feb. 18 2016)
Nick Plastino (Pekka Saravo, Patrik Laine) (Feb. 24 2016)

5 of Laine's 16 regular season assists were powerplay assists. The other 11 were even strength assists.

Playoff assist credits:

Kristian Kuusela (Patrik Laine, Nick Plastino) [PPG] (Mar. 22 2016)
Kristian Kuusela (Patrik Laine, Nick Plastino) [PPG] (Mar. 26 2016)
Juhani Jasu (Jukka Peltola, Patrik Laine) (Apr. 16 2016)
Jani Lajunen (Patrik Laine) (Apr. 22 2016)
Kristian Kuusela (Patrik Laine, Nick Plastino) [PPG] (Apr. 22 2016)

3 of Laine's 5 playoff assists were powerplay assists. The other 2 were even strength assists.

15 of Laine's 21 assists between the regular season and playoffs were primary assists.

4. Concerning Laine's skating.

JetsAlternate said:
Laine has good top speed; what holds him back right now are his agility and acceleration. He has to swing out wider when he turns, and he doesn't quite have the best first two steps to explode up the ice or jump into lanes in the defensive end. When he starts plays from below center and gets to top speed in a straight line, he can already fly.

If he can improve his skating, which is his top priority this summer, he will be scary on the ice. Once he has the acceleration, he can power through the opposition and do so much more. At the moment, you can see what he wants to do, but he doesn't quite get there. His defensive stickwork is good too, but he's a half-step behind so he can't use his stick as effectively during matches. A lot of what he wants to do hinges on his acceleration and agility, which will come. There is a lot to look forward to this summer.

If he has a good summer, he could already be a totally different player in September.

Laine works with Hannu Rautala, based in Turku, who our Finnish posters have assured is Finland's best conditioning coach and who is responsible for making major improvements to the skating of Alexander Barkov, Lauri Korpikoski, Mikko Rantanen, and Rasmus Ristolainen among others.

Laine worked with Rautala last year with great results.

Here's a Finnish article about Rautala and Laine from February.

http://www.iltalehti.fi/smliiga/2016021721134797_sm.shtml

Google Translate's rough translation (A Finnish poster can offer a manual translation, which I will gladly post here in place of the current translation):

Patrik Laine kommentoi NHL-tarkkailijoiden hilpeÃ¤Ã¤ munausta: "YllÃ¤ttÃ¤vÃ¤ tilanne"
Wednesday 02/17/2016 at 21:30
The basis for Patrik Laine's leap in abilities was built during the Summer of 2015 in Turku.

The legendary fitness coach Hannu Rautala made sure that the young super talent's athleticism took quite the leap towards NHL level during the five-week period of intense training.

The results were so compelling, that for Laine, the next leap will also be taken in Turku.

"The work is going to continue next summer. Since the beginning of the season, I've felt better and better on the ice. So why not continue with Rautala if the results will follow?", Laine revealed.

In the training group in Turku, Laine will be working alongside Lauri Korpikoski, Rasmus Ristolainen and Mikko Rantanen.

In this group, one cannot float around too much, since regarding power levels and body fat percentages, Rautala's trainees are generally near the top of NHL tests.

When the same readiness to play top hockey is translated onto the super prospect from Tampere, sky is the limit.

"NHL draft might slightly disturb training during the next summer , but otherwise I'm planning on spending some time on the coasts of Aurajoki for quite a while. The results have been so good."

TPS Tappara match Laine followed by a numerous number of NHL scoutteja.

This time, they also saw the target as opposed to playing last week in Tampere, which wander a big bunch of coffee and a donut specialists. They waited teen stars ollutta national team seconded to no avail. Also Blues-Tappara match was spot talent seekers, who were just behind Laine - equivalent to no avail.

How is it, Pat, did you hear for yourself on this convivial incident?

- Something would come up to my ears. I guess it's one way of can sometimes happen. A surprising situation, the teen star chuckled.
JARI Nikkol, TURKU

He is slated to spend the summer working with Rautala and the expectation is that he'll improve greatly just as he did last summer. Rautala has already said that the priorities for Laine this summer are his agility and acceleration.

They had great success last summer developing parts of Laine's skating; explosiveness and agility were not fully addressed, however, and so they are still considered to be raw elements. These aspects of his skating will be addressed this summer.

Finnpin said:
Last summer Laine trained in Turku with the help of fit coach Hannu Rautala who trains NHL-players during the summer.

Hannu said that Laine took some tips to his training and improved but also mentioned he is still raw in training department and there is improvement to made in all categories.

This summer he wants to train Laine's explosiveness.

http://www.mtv.fi/sport/jaakiekko/sm-liiga/artikkeli/patrik-laineen-yllattava-treenipaikka-turkulaisten-nhl-tahtien-matkassa/5844328

http://www.mtv.fi/sport/jaakiekko/sm-liiga/artikkeli/patrik-laineen-yllattava-treenipaikka-turkulaisten-nhl-tahtien-matkassa/5844328

Patrik Laineen yllÃ¤ttÃ¤vÃ¤ treenipaikka: turkulaisten NHL-tÃ¤htien matkassa
Sport > JÃ¤Ã¤kiekko > SM-liiga Julkaistu 15.04.2016 14:19

Tapparan superlahjakkuus Patrik Laine harjoitteli viime kesÃ¤nÃ¤ myÃ¶s Turussa. Perjantaina hyÃ¶kkÃ¤Ã¤jÃ¤ lÃ¤htee jahtaamaan uransa ensimmÃ¤istÃ¤ SM-kultaa.

17-vuotias Patrik Laine rakensi kuntoaan Turussa Hannu Rautalan kokeneen silmÃ¤n alla. Rautala on toiminut lukuisten NHL-pelaajien kutovalmentajana vuosien varrella. Miehen hyppysissÃ¤ ovat aikanaan harjoitelleet muun muassa Saku Koivu, Sami Salo, Mikko Eloranta ja monet muut huippukiekkoilijat.

- HÃ¤n oli tÃ¤Ã¤llÃ¤ viime kesÃ¤nÃ¤ viisi viikkoa. Uskon, ettÃ¤ se oli hÃ¤nelle hyÃ¶dyllinen jakso. HÃ¤n nÃ¤ki miten NHL-huippupelaajat kuten Lauri Korpikoski ja Rasmus Ristolainen harjoittelevat. Patrik imi vaikutteita ja kehittyi, Rautala sanoo MTV Sportille.

Kuuvuoren portaat tulivat tamperelaiselle tutuksi.

- Toki viisi viikkoa on kovasti lyhyt aika. Teimme 10-ottelutyyppistÃ¤ harjoittelua, hÃ¤nellÃ¤ on kaikilla osa-alueilla paljon parannettavaa. Ominaisuuspuoli tarttui hyvin, hÃ¤n on taitava tekemisissÃ¤Ã¤n. HÃ¤nessÃ¤ on potentiaalia kehittyÃ¤, myÃ¶s TPS:n liigajoukkueen kesÃ¤harjoittelusta vuosia vastannut Rautala kertaa.

- Patrik on vielÃ¤ raakile ominaisuuksiltaan. Siihen nÃ¤hden hÃ¤n pelaa hyvin.
Taas Turkuun

Laineen suunnitelmissa on harjoitella Turussa tulevanakin kesÃ¤nÃ¤. Rautala haluaa keskittyÃ¤ 194 senttisen nuorukaisen treenissÃ¤ tiettyihin asioihin.

- Kaikki riippuu tietenkin hÃ¤nen alkukesÃ¤n ja kesÃ¤n aikatauluistaan. Mutta rÃ¤jÃ¤htÃ¤vyyttÃ¤ ja nopeutta pitÃ¤isi kehittÃ¤Ã¤. Paikalta lÃ¤htÃ¶Ã¤ pitÃ¤Ã¤ kehittÃ¤Ã¤, lÃ¤htÃ¶askeleen voiman tuottoa. Jalka pitÃ¤Ã¤ saada liikkeelle, se on isolle miehelle haaste. No, onhan Usain Boltkin aika pitkÃ¤, yleisurheiluvalmentaja Rautala veistelee.

Tappara ja HIFK kÃ¤ynnistÃ¤vÃ¤t SM-liigan finaalisarjan perjantaina HelsingissÃ¤.

Google Translate:

Patrik Laineen yllÃ¤ttÃ¤vÃ¤ treenipaikka: turkulaisten NHL-tÃ¤htien matkassa
Sport> Hockey> SM-liiga Published 15/04/2016 14:19

Tappara's super talent Patrik Laine was also training in Turku last summer.

The 17-year-old Patrik Laine developed his fitness levels in Turku under the watchful eye of Hannu Rautala. Rautala has been the fitness coach of numerous NHL players along the years. Players like Saku Koivu, Sami Salo, Mikko Eloranta and other top hockey players have trained under his guidance.

"He already was here for five weeks last summer. I believe that it was a useful period for him. He got to see how top NHL players like Lauri Korpikoski and Rasmus Ristolainen were training. Patrik absorbed their influence and developed", Rautala says.

The staircase of Kuuvuori became familiar for the hockey player from Tampere.

"Naturally, five weeks is a short period of time. We performed decathlon-style training, he has much to improve in every category. He grasped the attribute portion well, he is skilled at whatever he does. He has the potential for development", said Rautala who also has been responsible for the summer training of the Liiga team TPS.

"Patrik is still raw with regards to his attributes. With that under consideration, he's playing well."

Again to Turku

The plan is for Laine to train in Turku for his upcoming summer as well. Rautala wants to concentrate on specific things during the training sessions of the 194cm tall youth.

"Naturally, everything is dependent upon the schedules of his early summer and summer. But explosiveness and agility should be improved. Accelerating from a full stop must be improved, power generation of the first step. He must get his leg mobilized, it is a challenge for a big man. Well, Usain Bolt is pretty tall as well", says the athletic trainer.

Tappara and HIFK start the SM-League finals series on Friday in Helsinki.

Patrik Laine, Auston Matthews power U.S. and Finland into world championship semis
Michael Traikos | May 19, 2016 | Last Updated: May 20 11:27 AM ET

...

Said Laine of possibly playing against his idol, Alex Ovechkin, in the semi-final: “It would be cool. I’ve never seen him play other than watching him on TV or on the Internet.”

...

After defeating Russia and playing against his favorite player, Alex Ovechkin (TSN): http://www.tsn.ca/hockey-canada/video/laine-won-t-wash-jersey-after-ovechkin-hit~875369

http://www.thescore.com/news/1030763

Laine won't wash jersey after being walloped by Ovechkin
by Justin Cuthbert May 21, 4:23 PM

Patrik Laine will forever cherish the moment he was pasted by Alex Ovechkin.

The top-ranked European-born draft-eligible prospect was on the receiving end of a heavy collision with the superstar he's drawn comparisons to in Finland's 3-1 semifinal win over Russia at the World Championships Saturday.

And he doesn't plan on tainting the moment.

"I think I won't ever wash this jersey," Laine said, remaining ever quotable, according to TSN's Ryan Rishaug.

Long after shaking off the contact, Laine set up Finland's go-ahead marker with a cross-crease pass to Jussi Jokinen from halfway below the goal line.

Win or lose, Laine will earn his second international medal of the season in Sunday's gold medal final.

After gold medal loss to Canada: http://www.tsn.ca/hockey-canada/video/laine-they-defended-better-than-the-last-game~875731

6. Comparisons in style to Mario Lemieux from scouts and former players.

Several scouts, analysts, and former players have drawn comparisons between Patrik Laine and Mario Lemieux, particularly with regards to their style of play. Their long reach, creativity with the puck, penchant for playing their best when they have the puck on their stick, physical strength with the puck and ability to shield the puck with their bodies, as well as their skating styles, ability to stick handle at top speed, and tendency to rag the puck around are some of the parallels that observers have drawn between Laine and Lemieux. Patrik Laine is a puck possession player who thrives when he can control the play; he can rush the puck up the ice, maneuver around the offensive zone with the puck, and has the same lanky sort of frame that Lemieux, especially in his younger and lighter 210 lb days, had.

Here are some of the comments made by individuals who have made this comparison; the articles are featured here first in their original language, then in an English translation via Google Translate; this is a partial list:

Jere Lehtinen:

2016-04-12
Laine hyllas: "PÃ¥minner om Lemieux"

Tappara Ã¤r i final i den finska ishockeyligan efter ett drama mot KÃ¤rpÃ¤t.

Stor hjÃ¤lte i serien efter sex kanonmÃ¥l: supertalangen Patrik Laine, 17.

– Han pÃ¥minner om Mario Lemieux, sÃ¤ger landslagets GM Jere Lehtinen.

2016-04-12
Laine hyllas: "PÃ¥minner om Lemieux"

Tappara is in the final of the Finnish ice hockey league after a play against KÃ¤rpÃ¤t .

Great hero of the series after six kanonmÃ¥l : super talent Patrik Laine ; 17.

- He reminds me of Mario Lemieux , said the national team's GM Jere Lehtinen .

Jari Kurri:

http://www.iltalehti.fi/smliiga/2016041221406210_sm.shtml

NHL-legenda Patrik Laineesta: "En muista tuollaista pelaajaa jo tuossa iÃ¤ssÃ¤"
Tiistai 12.4.2016 klo 16.48

Kurri on kasannut Jokerien ensi kauden KHL-joukkuetta, mutta hÃ¤n on ehtinyt myÃ¶s seuraamaan SM-liigan tapahtumia.

Tapparan teinisensaatio Patrik Laine on tehnyt ison vaikutuksen Kurriin.

- Ei muista ketÃ¤Ã¤n tuollaista pelaajaa jo tuossa iÃ¤ssÃ¤, Kurri sanoi.

Laineesta tulee mieleen yksi NHL:n kautta aikojen parhaista pelaajista, Mario Lemieux. Lemieux laukoi Laineen tavoin oikealta, oli isokokoinen ja Ã¤Ã¤rettÃ¶mÃ¤n taitava hyÃ¶kkÃ¤Ã¤jÃ¤.

- Monissa asioissa Laineesta tulee tosiaan mieleen Lemieux, Kurri sanoi.

NHL legend Patrik Laine : " I do not remember that kind of players already at that age "
Tuesday 12.04.2016 at 16.48

Kurri is heaped Jokerit next season Kontinental Hockey League teams, but he has also found the time to follow the SM - league events .

Tappara teen sensation Patrik Laine has made a big impact Kurriin .

- Do not remember anyone like that players already at that age , Kurri said.

Laine comes to mind one NHL through the best ever players , Mario Lemieux . Lemieux 's shot from the right way, Laine , had a large and infinitely skilful attacker .

- In many cases Laine is indeed a mind of Lemieux , Kurri said.

Alexander Mogilny, with additional comments from Igor Larionov:

http://yle.fi/urheilu/3-8898264

VenÃ¤jÃ¤n entiset supertÃ¤hdet hehkuttavat Lainetta - "HÃ¤n on kuin nuori Mario Lemieux"
Moskovassa jÃ¤rjestetyssÃ¤ nÃ¤ytÃ¶sottelussa pelanneet Aleksander Mogilny ja Igor Larionov ovat vakuuttuneita Suomen kiekkoilun nykytasosta sekÃ¤ Patrik Laineen potentiaalista.
urheilu21.5.2016 klo 08:02pÃ¤ivitetty 21.5.2016 klo 08:06

MOSKOVA. JÃ¤Ã¤kiekon MM-kisojen vÃ¤lierÃ¤ottelujen alla pelattiin mielenkiintoinen nÃ¤ytÃ¶sottelu entisten tÃ¤htien kesken. MaailmantÃ¤hdet vastaan Moskovan tÃ¤hdet. Moskovan joukkueessa pelasivat muun muassa entiset suurpelaajat Aleksander Mogilny sekÃ¤ Igor Larionov. Molemmat innostuivat kehumaan Patrik Lainetta Sovetskij Sport-lehden haastattelussa.

- Ilman muuta olen vakuuttunut. Vaikka hÃ¤n on vielÃ¤ nuori niin kokoa riittÃ¤Ã¤. Ja miten hieno peliÃ¤ly! HÃ¤n on kuin nuori Mario Lemieux. Laineen urasta tulee vielÃ¤ hieno, Mogilny hehkutti.

MyÃ¶s legendaarisen Punakoneen sentteri Igor Larionov on pannut merkille Laineen kyvyt.

- NÃ¤in Laineen nuorten MM-kisoissa. En ole yllÃ¤ttynyt, ettÃ¤ hÃ¤n pelaa tÃ¤Ã¤llÃ¤kin niin hyvin. MielestÃ¤ni oli oikein Suomen valmennusjohdolta laittaa hÃ¤net samaan ketjuun konkareiden kanssa, Larionov kertoi Sovetskij Sport-lehdelle.

NykyÃ¤Ã¤n muun muassa viinikauppiaana ja pelaaja-agenttina tyÃ¶skentelevÃ¤ Larionov ei lÃ¤htenyt arvailemaan kumpi varataan ensi kesÃ¤n NHL-varaustilausuudessa ensimmÃ¤isenÃ¤, Laine vai USA:n Auston Matthews.

- NHL-joukkueet pÃ¤hkÃ¤ilevÃ¤t minkÃ¤laista pelaajaa he eniten tarvitsevat. Molemmat pelaajat ovat todella hyviÃ¤. Ja Ã¤lkÃ¤Ã¤ unohtako PuljujÃ¤rveÃ¤!, Larionov sanoi.

- Suomen kiekkoilun tulevaisuus nÃ¤yttÃ¤Ã¤ valoisalta. HeillÃ¤ on jo kaksi MM-kultaa tÃ¤ltÃ¤ kaudelta. En ymmÃ¤rrÃ¤ miten niin pieni maa pystyy sellaiseen suoritukseen, Mogilny lopetti.

VenÃ¤jÃ¤n entiset supertÃ¤hdet hehkuttavat Lainetta - "HÃ¤n on kuin nuori Mario Lemieux"
Moskovassa jÃ¤rjestetyssÃ¤ nÃ¤ytÃ¶sottelussa pelanneet Aleksander Mogilny ja Igor Larionov ovat vakuuttuneita Suomen kiekkoilun nykytasosta sekÃ¤ Patrik Laineen potentiaalista.
urheilu21.5.2016 klo 08:02pÃ¤ivitetty 21.5.2016 klo 08:06

MOSCOW. Below the Ice Hockey World Championships Semifinal matches played an interesting exhibition match between former stars. World Stars in Moscow against the stars. Moscow team played inter alia, the former big players Aleksander Mogilny and Igor Larionov. Both are inspired to boast about Patrik Laine Sovetsky Sport magazine in an interview.

- Of course, I am convinced. Although he is still young so the size is enough. And how to fine-Vision! He is like a young Mario Lemieux. Laine's career will be fine, Mogilny enthused.

Also, the legendary Red Machine sentteri Igor Larionov has taken note of Laine's abilities.

- I saw Laine's World Junior Championships. I'm not surprised that he's playing so well here, too. I think it was the correct Finland coaching management to put him in the same chain with industry veterans, Larionov told the Sovetsky Sport newspaper.

Today, among other things, the wine merchant, and working in a player-agent Larionov did not go guessing which one is reserved for next summer's NHL booking new orders first, Laine or the US Austone Matthews.

- NHL teams pÃ¤hkÃ¤ilevÃ¤t what kind of players they are most in need. Both players are really good. And do not forget PuljujÃ¤rvi !, Larionov said.

- The future of Finnish hockey looks bright. They already have two world championship gold medals this year. I do not understand how such a small country is capable of such a performance, Mogilny stopped.

http://www.iltalehti.fi/mmjaakiekko-2016/2016052121599026_jj.shtml

VenÃ¤lÃ¤inen NHL-legenda ihmettelee Suomea: "En tiedÃ¤, miten se on mahdollista"
Lauantai 21.5.2016 klo 13.01
VenÃ¤jÃ¤n vanhat suurpelaajat puhuivat semifinaalin alla suomalaisesta jÃ¤Ã¤kiekosta Sovetski Sport -lehdelle.

Igor Larionov ja Aleksandr Mogilny kommentoivat - totta kai - Patrik Lainetta.

- En ole yllÃ¤ttynyt siitÃ¤, ettÃ¤ hÃ¤n on pelannut niin hyvin, Larionov jutteli Sovetski Sportille eilisen legendojen ottelun jÃ¤lkeen Moskovassa.

- HÃ¤n on erittÃ¤in vahva pelaaja, joka on pelannut erinomaisen kauden.

Mogilny oli samoilla linjoilla.

- HÃ¤n on nuorella iÃ¤llÃ¤ pÃ¤Ã¤ssyt suuriin mittasuhteisiin. HÃ¤n muistuttaa minua nuoresta Mario Lemieux'ista, Mogilny sanoi.

VenÃ¤lÃ¤inen NHL-legenda ihmettelee Suomea: "En tiedÃ¤, miten se on mahdollista"
Lauantai 21.5.2016 klo 13.01
VenÃ¤jÃ¤n vanhat suurpelaajat puhuivat semifinaalin alla suomalaisesta jÃ¤Ã¤kiekosta Sovetski Sport -lehdelle.

Igor Larionov and Alexander Mogilny comment on - of course - Patrik Laine .

- I'm not surprised that he has been playing so well , Larionov told Sovetsk Intersport in after yesterday's legends match in Moscow .

- He is a very strong player , who has played an excellent season .

Mogilny was along the same lines .

- He is a young age reached major proportions . He reminds me of a young Mario Lemieux'ista , Mogilny said.

Teemu Selanne and other scouts:

http://www.mckeenshockey.com/prospects-blog/mckeens-2016-top-30-nhl-draft-rankings-apr-2016/

McKeen’s 2016 Top 30 NHL Draft Rankings (Apr-2016)
By McKeen's Hockey On April 10, 2016

Well there is a “matter what”…a Finnish fellow named Patrik Laine that has more than a couple of scouts reminiscing about a fellow named Mario Lemieux. It was apparent at the U-20…was noticeable down the stretch in the SM-liiga regular season, and even more apparent during the playoffs – this kid is scary good, and the closest thing comparable to Mario since…..Mario.

“He looks like Mario when he’s carrying the puck,” noted one top scout during the U-20, and he wasn’t alone in that assertion. When asked for a comparison, Teemu Selanne brought up Lemieux as well, and McKeen’s chief amateur scout Grant McCagg was making the correlation between the two even before there were others echoing it…he first made the suggestion early on in the World juniors, and he hasn’t changed his mind. If anything it has only been reconfirmed.

“I can’t honestly recall scouting a forward over 6-4 with a skill set as similar to Mario’s as Laine’s,” says McCagg. “The way he creates space when he has the puck, his hands, his release, his shot, his vision…maybe he’s not quite at Mario’s level…but he’s not that far off. He’s a tier above Rick Nash at the same age…and as we know both Nash and Mario were first overall picks. I have a hard time thinking anyone should be drafted ahead of him even if I really like Matthews a lot…I see a future 50-goal NHL scorer, maybe a 60-goal guy. I don’t see that same upside with Matthews.”

Another scout:

http://www.mckeenshockey.com/prospects-blog/mckeens-2016-top-30-nhl-draft-rankings-jan-2016/

McKeen’s 2016 Top 30 NHL Draft Rankings (Jan-2016)
By McKeen's Hockey On January 16, 2016

“He’s the first prospect that reminds me of Mario (Lemieux) since Mario,” noted one senior NHL scout who was blown away by Laine’s performance at the WJC over the holidays, where the 6-4 left winger compiled seven goals and six assists in seven games while leading Finland to a Gold Medal victory at home.

“It’s ballsy to have him rated number one, but can’t say I disagree… he could be a home run.”

Former player Janne Niinimaa:

http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/west-coast-bias-ducks-buy-in-on-boudreaus-philosophy-pays-off/

West Coast Bias: Ducks’ buy in on Boudreau’s philosophy pays off
Mark Spector February 19, 2016, 6:39 PM

...

Janne Niinimaa, a huge death metal fan, blew through Edmonton this week. The former NHL defenceman is working for Finnish TV, so we asked him about the two up and coming Finns for the 2016 drat: Patrik Laine and Jesse Puljujarvi.

...

“Laine is all offence — he’s an artist kind of guy. He skates like (Mario) Lemieux, the way he (has such a wide) stride on the ice.

Analyst and former player Kai Nurminen:

http://svenska.yle.fi/artikel/2016/04/08/malmaskinen-jamfor-laine-med-lemieux-ligans-farligaste-sniper

MÃ¥lmaskinen jÃ¤mfÃ¶r Laine med Lemieux: ”Ligans farligaste sniper”
Publicerad 08.04.2016 - 18:55. Uppdaterad 04.05.2016 - 14:00

– Laine anvÃ¤nder sin lÃ¥nga klubba jÃ¤kla bra. Han kan finta genom att hÃ¥lla pucken lÃ¤ngre bort frÃ¥n kroppen, men skottet viner ivÃ¤g vasst nÃ¤ra kroppen. Vi talar om samma sorts farlighet som hos Mario Lemieux, sÃ¤ger Nurminen.

MÃ¥lmaskinen jÃ¤mfÃ¶r Laine med Lemieux: ”Ligans farligaste sniper”
Publicerad 08.04.2016 - 18:55. Uppdaterad 04.05.2016 - 14:00

- Laine uses his long stick darn good. He may be a feint by keeping the puck away from the body , but the shot wines off sharply near the body . We are talking about the same kind of hazard that of Mario Lemieux says Nurminen .

Swedish analyst and former player Nicklas WikegÃ¥rd:

http://www.pressen.se/5377876.html

YLE - 03 jan 16 kl. 13:16
WikegÃ¥rd jÃ¤mfÃ¶r Patrik Laine med Mario Lemieux

I Sverige har den blÃ¥vita supertrion gjort stort intryck och skapar ocksÃ¥ stor oro infÃ¶r mÃ¥ndagens semifinal. TV4-experten Niklas WikegÃ¥rd gÃ¥r sÃ¥ lÃ¥ngt som att jÃ¤mfÃ¶ra Patrik Laine med Mario Lemieux. Det var ett stort pressuppbÃ¥d som fÃ¶ljde med juniorkronornas sÃ¶ndagstrÃ¤ningar efter lÃ¶rdagens semifinalmatch mot Slovakien. TV4 och SVT delar pÃ¥ sÃ¤ndningsrÃ¤ttigheterna fÃ¶r mÃ¤sterskapet och bevakar det i Sverige vÃ¤ldigt populÃ¤ra mÃ¤sterskapet stort och brett. Den finska supertrion har gjort stort intryck pÃ¥ TV4:s expertkommentator Niklas WikegÃ¥rd, som sett spelare som Jonathan Toews och Patrick Kane dominera pÃ¥ juniornivÃ¥.

YLE - 03 jan 16 kl. 13:16
WikegÃ¥rd jÃ¤mfÃ¶r Patrik Laine med Mario Lemieux

In Sweden, the blue and white super trio made a great impression and also creates great anxiety before Monday's semifinals. TV4 expert Niklas WikegÃ¥rd goes so far as to compare Patrik Laine with Mario Lemieux . There was a large press corps that came with the junior crown Sunday practice sessions for Saturday's semifinal match against Slovakia. TV4 and SVT parts of the broadcasting rights to the championship and monitors in Sweden very popular championship high and wide. The Finnish super trio has made a big impression on TV4 commentator Niklas WikegÃ¥rd , as seen players like Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane dominate at the junior level.

Analyst and former player Hannes HyvÃ¶nen:

http://www.sportti.com/uutinen.asp?CAT=2-4&ID=312095

Hannes HyvÃ¶nen Patrik Laineesta: "Nuori mies menee kun Mario Lemieux"
8.5.2016 - 10:19:13

...

Nuori mies menee kun Mario Lemieux. Huhu huh. Niin makeeta kattoa. SydÃ¤n sykkii hÃ¤nelle, HyvÃ¶nen hehkuttaa.

Regarding the 2014 Ivan Hlinka tournament and Laine's subsequent path towards maturity:

http://www.tsn.ca/towering-laine-possesses-a-powerful-confidence-1.500870"]http://www.tsn.ca/towering-laine-possesses-a-powerful-confidence-1.500870[/URL]
http://hfboards.mandatory.com/showpost.php?p=115536097&postcount=536

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."

Miscellaneous photo gallery: http://hfboards.mandatory.com/showthread.php?t=2067169

Footnote: My personal record of analysis regarding Laine, dating back to February.

http://hfboards.mandatory.com/showpost.php?p=118369381&postcount=491

Skinnyjimmy08 · May 22, 2016

the King of MVP's this year

Skinnyjimmy08 · May 22, 2016

Cant believe the amount of games he played this year yet still named MVP of this tournament filled with top NHLers... I would have thought he would have been just a little tuckered out

SniperHF · May 22, 2016

Open for business.

Fishy · May 22, 2016

Top notch OP.

Fishy · May 22, 2016

JetsAlternate said:
After gold medal loss to Canada: http://www.tsn.ca/hockey-canada/video/laine-they-defended-better-than-the-last-game~875731

Ah man, why even bother trying to interview the guy.

Whileee · May 22, 2016

Skinnyjimmy08 said:
Cant believe the amount of games he played this year yet still named MVP of this tournament filled with top NHLers... I would have thought he would have been just a little tuckered out

Also, he's just a kid. The amazing thing is that he just turned 18 last month. That is maybe the most impressive aspect of his run this year. He is still growing and developing.

Skinnyjimmy08 · May 22, 2016

Good OP but takes too long to scroll past it all on my phone haha

rehf · May 22, 2016

The OP is great, I don't even want to know how long it took to do, lol.

Congrats to Laine on all his Worlds accolades, impressive.

Andreas Ferrari · May 22, 2016

Great job OP.You have obviously put alot of work into this and it's greatly appreciated.

As a long time Jet fan I can say I have never been so excited in my life to watch the coming draft.

Does anyone know the exact time the draft starts.I'm going to book that day off from work.

ijuka · May 22, 2016

Whileee said:
Also, he's just a kid. The amazing thing is that he just turned 18 last month. That is maybe the most impressive aspect of his run this year. He is still growing and developing.

His teammate from the 2014-2015 season was asked how he would have expected Laine to develop during this season and he'd estimated that "He might be able to secure a regular spot in the Liiga team's lineup", afterwards he said that he's "never seen a player developing as much in a year" and that "he's definitely going to score 50 goals in NHL".

JawandaPuck · May 22, 2016

Laine is a special player. He really turned it on second half of the season after flashing his amazing sniper skills in the first half. Amazing production in the WHC for a true 18 year old (ie, not a late birthday). Can not ignore his first overall candidacy now.

Plural · May 22, 2016

This OP delivers.

clunk · May 22, 2016

Petition for JetsAlternate to make every prospect thread, plz.

felixhockey · May 22, 2016

JawandaPuck said:
Laine is a special player. He really turned it on second half of the season after flashing his amazing sniper skills in the first half. Amazing production in the WHC for a true 18 year old (ie, not a late birthday). Can not ignore his first overall candidacy now.

I agree 100%.. the people that say they don't even CONSIDER laine for first overall hurt my brain! Am I the only one who feels like Babcock likes Laine more? I was left with that feeling after his interviews.. maybe I'm wrong

UsernameWasTaken · May 22, 2016

JawandaPuck said:
Laine is a special player. He really turned it on second half of the season after flashing his amazing sniper skills in the first half. Amazing production in the WHC for a true 18 year old (ie, not a late birthday). Can not ignore his first overall candidacy now.

Really, he qualifies as a U18 player (i.e. he's in his 17 year old season...he was eligible to play at the IIHF U18 tournament a month ago).

Redline · May 23, 2016

He had a great year and will be a force in the NHL. I think he'll become a fan favorite league wide once his personality catches on.

Its interesting, in hindsight, to see the significance of having 3 lottery spots and the results that followed in a draft containing 3 prospects considered to be of the franchise variety. 5 years from now the impact could be epic.

JawandaPuck · May 23, 2016

UsernameWasTaken said:
Really, he qualifies as a U18 player (i.e. he's in his 17 year old season...he was eligible to play at the IIHF U18 tournament a month ago).

Yup, that's what I meant...true 17 year old season, true 18 year old nhl draft pick to be (ie, not turning 19 sometime during his draft year). Amazing accomplishments for such a youngster.

Hzzz · May 23, 2016

Great tournament but I dont't understand why he was given the MVP award. Granlubd was much better.

Deedog · May 23, 2016

I'm happy Jets get chance to draft Laine! That is all!

johnsic · May 23, 2016

Best part in Laine is that he is still raw. He is outstanding at times and you can really see how he has a lot of room for growth. A good coach and some savvy veteran presence and Laine will be the next Ovechkin.

Halberdier · May 23, 2016

Hzzz said:
Great tournament but I dont't understand why he was given the MVP award. Granlubd was much better.

That's how those selections are made in international tournaments. Top scorer for the top team. And mind you, MVP is always selected before the last game. Also against Russia, Laine basically made that GWG for Jokinen. That goal alone was so important for Team Finland.

Also JP got selected MVP for WJC, when clearly Laine or Aho did deserve that. But just like Laine in this tournament, JP was the best player for couple of the first games in WJC, and a bit softer and weaker than some of his team mates towards the end.

Halberdier · May 23, 2016

While the OP is already filled with the records by Laine, I would add those U18-aged records specifically, as there are also stated that second position of U19-aged stats.

Additionally, AFAIK, Laine is the first U18-player ever to score three points in one WHC match, and Laine did that twice. Without checking, I guess Laine has also the record for most assists (5) in tournament for U18-aged player.

ViD · May 23, 2016

All I can say is this : the Leafs would be dumb to pick Matthews just because of the hype. Anyone with a pair of eyes can see Laine is a better player

llwyd · May 23, 2016

He did seem rather tired towards the end of the championship - in Jatkoaika someone said that he played 104 games this season, rather crazy...

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

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