RW Patrik Laine - Tappara, Liiga (2016 Draft) II

[SpinninRodIntoArmpit]

I get Laine's style, but what is Laine's potential then?

Ceiling is 50+50 first line superstar. Projection is a 30 goals top6-winger. Floor is top player on the KHL. His own goal is to be the best in the world, said it in some interview without a blink of an eye. Whatever the potential means, Idk? If I remember correctly, in HF has been used 0-10 potential ranking and A-some letter likeliness to reach that potential. Now thinking about former top prospects, I'd say Laine is 9.0C or something like that.

 

[ikzu]

I get Laine's style, but what is Laine's potential then?

It's really hard to tell, when a guy is only 17 years old.

I think that Laine has the potential to be one the best snipers in the game. But on the other hand things don't always go the way they "should". That's why we should just live day by day and let the future tell everything.

 

[thomast]

I'd say his potential is much more in line with Nash or a prime Semin. But I don't think your viewing Nash correctly, he's more than capable of dangeling through people. He's not a guy who only score in close, he can wire it off the rush or deke you out if need be. Obviously not to the extent of Ovi, but no one except maybe Kovalchuk has done that in the NHL recently.

edit: Semin is actually prolly the better comparable, somewhere between the two but closer to Semin in regards to flair. Both are big guys who can use there shot and reach to create goal scoring chances, but Laine seems more willing to get in tight. I just think while Laine's skating has improved it will never be Ovi or Kovy level, so I think its a bit flawed. More to the point there is no exact match. But he's a big winger, with decent to good skating, an elite shot and great hands.

Isn't semin high end skater too? How many games you have seen from Laine to make such statements? I'm pretty sure that most of people who have watched Laine for years say that his style is close to Ovie, he says himself he models his game after Ovie. Watch him shoot, play PP, dangle in a similar way. Semin is more like very slick highly skilled player who is not good in physical battles. Laine is really strong and can use his body aggressively to win battles. It's actually poor comparison. Corey Perry is closer by style than Semin or Nash offensively.

 

[93LEAFS]

Isn't semin high end skater too? How many games you have seen from Laine to make such statements? I'm pretty sure that most of people who have watched Laine for years say that his style is close to Ovie, he says himself he models his game after Ovie. Watch him shoot, play PP, dangle in a similar way. Semin is more like very slick highly skilled player who is not good in physical battles. Laine is really strong and can use his body aggressively to win battles. It's actually poor comparison. Corey Perry is closer by style than Semin or Nash offensively.

Quite a few, Semin hasn't been a high level skater for awhile and never really was strong on his skates. He may model himself of Ovie, but he has no where near the pure speed and elite burst for it to work. Cory Perry is an even bigger hands and in close guy than Nash. Laine's a good skater and strong on the puck but he doesn't have the elite speed to draw comparisons to Ovi. Laine doesn't really have a direct comparable but he's a strong guy with great hands and shot, but he doesn't have the burst someone like Ovechkin. In the show he's going to rely on hands and size to create space, he's not going to blow by people which was what Ovi and Kovy did to rack up goals.

 

[HockeyHistorian]

If his skating develops at the pace (or even at a little slower pace as is probable) it has during the last year or so, the possibility to really hit his "ceiling" becomes more and more realistic. Can't wait to see.

 

[thomast]

Quite a few, Semin hasn't been a high level skater for awhile and never really was strong on his skates. He may model himself of Ovie, but he has no where near the pure speed and elite burst for it to work. Cory Perry is an even bigger hands and in close guy than Nash. Laine's a good skater and strong on the puck but he doesn't have the elite speed to draw comparisons to Ovi. Laine doesn't really have a direct comparable but he's a strong guy with great hands and shot, but he doesn't have the burst someone like Ovechkin. In the show he's going to rely on hands and size to create space, he's not going to blow by people which was what Ovi and Kovy did to rack up goals.

So you're saying that Perry plays more with his body than Nash to gain quality scoring chance? Not even close. Perry relies more with his hands just like Laine does. Nash has really quick good hands and can dangle opponents with the quickness of his hands and using his body at times to gain good scoring chance, Perry has smoother style to handle the puck. Nash is really bad comparison to me and i've watched Laine since he was 14 year old at first time. But started to watch more at 15 year old. Nash is definetly better comparison than Semin but both are really poor. Laine might not have the speed of Ovechkin but his style is more like of him than anyone else. If he had speed of Ovechkin he would be generational talent for sure but he is more like average to good skater for NHL in the future. Will never reach elite skating and that is maybe holding him back from being one of the best scorers in the world at his prime. But you can't ignore his shooting technique, how he handles the puck, how he plays PP and the list goes on.

You have your opinion and i have mine. From my viewings Semin and Nash are poor comparisons and maybe Ovie is for you but i confidently stand strongly behind my words on this one.

 

[93LEAFS]

So you're saying that Perry plays more with his body than Nash to gain quality scoring chance? Not even close. Perry relies more with his hands just like Laine does. Nash has really quick good hands and can dangle opponents with the quickness of his hands and using his body at times to gain good scoring chance, Perry has smoother style to handle the puck. Nash is really bad comparison to me and i've watched Laine since he was 14 year old at first time. But started to watch more at 15 year old. Nash is definetly better comparison than Semin but both are really poor. Laine might not have the speed of Ovechkin but his style is more like of him than anyone else. If he had speed of Ovechkin he would be generational talent for sure but he is more like average to good skater for NHL in the future. Will never reach elite skating and that is maybe holding him back from being one of the best scorers in the world at his prime. But you can't ignore his shooting technique, how he handles the puck, how he plays PP and the list goes on.

You have your opinion and i have mine. From my viewings Semin and Nash are poor comparisons and maybe Ovie is for you but i confidently stand strongly behind my words on this one.

I'd say that when combining his potential and style of play. He won't be an Ovechkin style of player in the NHL, he just doesn't have the speed. He relies on an elite shot, great hands and size which are key for both Semin and Nash, they utilize these traits in different ways, but they both use them to be (or been) effective 40 goal scorers. Perry plays much closer to the net than Nash usually and doesn't snipe as much. He really doesn't have a direct comparable at the moment.

 

[Loffer]

He doesn't have to have Ovie skating to be one of the best in the game in the future. - Jamie Benn is one of them as of now. Laine could be as much a Star as Benn is. In every sense.

 

[93LEAFS]

He doesn't have to have Ovie skating to be one of the best in the game in the future. - Jamie Benn is one of them as of now. Laine could be as much a Star as Benn is. In every sense.

Def not saying he needs to have Ovi type skating to be a great player. Right now he's probably my 2nd favorite player in this draft, seems to have most of what you need from a good sniper, great hands, shot and ability to drift in to weak spots for a passer to find him. He probably has the best chance of being an elite goal scorer in the 2016 class.

 

[kelsier]

Laine's skating seems to be the topic even today. He really doesn't need to be the fastest on the ice to be amongst the best players in the world in his prime - if the developement goes into the direction it is heading today. Considering the fact he missed one crusial summer and add in the size there's no telling how fast he'd be today. He definately has the potential to add in a gear or two and might turn from a good skater to an excellent (especially after he crosses the pond). It will be interesting to see if he can challenge Matthews for the #1. The WJC will be crusial and both of them will have huge roles in their teams. At this point I'd say he has surpassed Puljujärvi as well as Chychrun as the MVP. If this guy was a center it could be a toin coss between Matthews and Laine at this point.

It's hard to miss a single game of Tappara. The kid is just so much fun to watch. Looking what he is doing in the Liga I'd be surprised to see anything but domination in the WJC where he's wrestling peers that are closer to his age. Less than a month left!

 

[ginopuck]

He's definitely a sniper. He's also a monster out there against guys a lot older than him.

 

[Hokinaittii]

Laine had his 1st and 2nd multi-point games in his last 2 games. Here's hoping he can continue where he left off on Friday.

Laine's stats in November's 8 games:

4+2=6 and 51 shots

 

[pckstpr31]

Very excited to watch Finland at the WJC this year, so much talent.

 

[Alexandrov]

Laine had his 1st and 2nd multi-point games in his last 2 games. Here's hoping he can continue where he left off on Friday.

Laine's stats in November's 8 games:

4+2=6 and 51 shots

Is he still playing in the first line?

 

[FinPanda]

Is he still playing in the first line?

Nope, 2nd line.

 

[Tripod]

I would love to see him on Giroux's LW being able to 1-time passes all day long!

 

[acrobaticgoalie]

would Jagr be a good comparable for him?

 

[Uncle Scrooge]

would Jagr be a good comparable for him?

Jagr is a rare breed in how he can shield the puck and his offensive game revolves mostly around that ability. Laine isn't the same type of player, at least in my opinion.

 

[George Binks]

Am I the only one that read Patrick Kane at first?

 

[FinProspects]

Ceiling is 50+50 first line superstar. Projection is a 30 goals top6-winger. Floor is top player on the KHL. His own goal is to be the best in the world, said it in some interview without a blink of an eye. Whatever the potential means, Idk? If I remember correctly, in HF has been used 0-10 potential ranking and A-some letter likeliness to reach that potential. Now thinking about former top prospects, I'd say Laine is 9.0C or something like that.

There's no 50+50 players in the league at the moment, so Laine wont be achieving that unless some change to goalie pads or rules are done.

Laine in my eyes is 8.5B, point per game-ish player, more goals than assists.

 

[Hokinaittii]

Am I the only one that read Patrick Kane at first?

His pronunciation will be even more similar to Kane's. Kind of.

 

[MMANumminen]

You pronounce it LAI(lie)-NE

 

[SpinninRodIntoArmpit]

There's no 50+50 players in the league at the moment, so Laine wont be achieving that unless some change to goalie pads or rules are done.

Laine in my eyes is 8.5B, point per game-ish player, more goals than assists.

No you're absolutely right. Kane is 50+79.

 

[Hokinaittii]

You pronounce it LAI(lie)-NE

Yet I'm sure it's going to pronounced by some of the announcers Lie-n. Which even sounds better into my ear than lie-ne.



Not a NHL announcer but there's something anyway.

 

[ikzu]

Pätrik Lein-ee

Pultjujaarvii is also kind of funny