Laine is a shooter all right. A
Simo Häyhä on ice. But he can also control the puck, make plays at top flight, and wields what scouts call a high hockey IQ. That he stands 6-foot-3 and weighs 200 pounds is a bonus.
“He has, as the kids would say, some mad skills. If you want to set some cones out there and make up a challenge, he’s as good as anybody. Now, you gotta get your skills in the game,” Liut cautions.
The agent recently heard an analyst compare Laine and fellow Finnish winger Jesse Puljujarvi to Jari Kurri and Teemu Selanne. He wants the brakes pumped here. “Really? Really? Seriously? It was meant as a compliment, but why don’t we say he stickhandles like Mario Lemieux while we’re at it. That’s unfair. They’re both exceptional players at their age. They’re 18. I think they’ll both be great NHL players, but… steps. Process,” Liut says.