LW Patrik Laine - Tappara, Liiga (2016, 2nd, WPG) XII

[Passchendaele]

A lot of people bring up the "Seriously!11 Only Ovy and Skinner...." well he is better than either one of them at 18 so why is it so unbelievable that someone sees he will keep that advantage through his career?

Better than Skinner at 18? Ok. Ovechkin? Gimme a break. We're talking about a guy who scored 50+ goals and 100+ points in his rookie season, something almost unheard of.

Let's see how Laine's game translates to smaller ice before making such insane predictions.

 

[ijuka]

Comparing Laine to past goal scorers and snipers is good and all but one has to consider that none of them came even close to Laine's international success at the same age.

I'm not sure why everyone's being so conservative with their predictions.

 

[Passchendaele]

Comparing Laine to past goal scorers and snipers is good and all but one has to consider that none of them came even close to Laine's international success at the same age.

I'm not sure why everyone's being so conservative with their predictions.

Mikael Granlund is great on international ice as well. And outscored Laine in his draft year too.

Didn't mean squat so far as he's been underwhelming in the NHL.

 

[irunthepeg]

Better than Skinner at 18? Ok. Ovechkin? Gimme a break. We're talking about a guy who scored 50+ goals and 100+ points in his rookie season, something almost unheard of.

Let's see how Laine's game translates to smaller ice before making such insane predictions.

Different NHL that year also. Don't forget that.

 

[The Winter Soldier]

Skinner out goaled all of these players in his rookie year. He was terrific. But if Laine did not out goal him next season. It means nothing, when you look at the list below.

07-08 Kane 21
08-09 Stamkos 23
09-10 Tavares 24
09-10 Hall 22
09-10 Seguin 11
10-11 Landeskog 22
12-13 Mackinnon 21
15-16 Eichel 24

 

[Halberdier]

Better than Skinner at 18? Ok. Ovechkin? Gimme a break. We're talking about a guy who scored 50+ goals and 100+ points in his rookie season, something almost unheard of.

Let's see how Laine's game translates to smaller ice before making such insane predictions.

Ovechkin was not in NHL when he was 18 years old. He was 20 on his rookie season. Quite a different thing.

AFAIK, Skinner was 19 too in his rookie season. Laine is 18. Eighteen. That's very young for NHL.

Not saying that he can't possibly score 30 goals, but I'm not expecting that. He. Is. Young.

 

[psycho_dad*]

Better than Skinner at 18? Ok. Ovechkin? Gimme a break. We're talking about a guy who scored 50+ goals and 100+ points in his rookie season, something almost unheard of.

Let's see how Laine's game translates to smaller ice before making such insane predictions.

Yes better than Ovechkin and it wasn't close. You obviously did not watch both of them at 18 since you have a problem with that. Statistics and eye test both tell you this fact.

 

[BigWilly]

Are there any pics of him skating with the Jets? Prospect camp?

 

[Gsus]

Are there any pics of him skating with the Jets? Prospect camp?

He doesn't skate for a while, just before the World Cup. Why? Corey Perry.

 

[Hokinaittii]

Are there any pics of him skating with the Jets? Prospect camp?

Nope, he didn't skate due to the small knee injury.

 

[tacogeoff]

Yes better than Ovechkin and it wasn't close. You obviously did not watch both of them at 18 since you have a problem with that. Statistics and eye test both tell you this fact.

Lol. HYPE!!!!!!!

I will be astounded if he nets 25 or more his rookie year. I personally don't think he will reach the Ovi level of being a 50G a year player in the first four seasons of five....but if he does that would be fantastic

Sure he may of played very well in his pre draft year but lets see what he can actually do in his rookie season before proclaiming him the best goal score since Ovi.

 

[BigWilly]

He doesn't skate for a while, just before the World Cup. Why? Corey Perry.

Nope, he didn't skate due to the small knee injury.

Ahh damn


Thanks guys.

 

[Passchendaele]

Yes better than Ovechkin and it wasn't close. You obviously did not watch both of them at 18 since you have a problem with that. Statistics and eye test both tell you this fact.

Statistics?

The RSL was a far better league than the SM-Liiga. Ovechkin wasn't handed top-line minutes either. Perhaps you don't remember his dominant performances at the WJC, or his goal record setting at the U18 when he was only 16.

Laine is getting opportunities Ovechkin wasn't handed because Russia produces better talent than Finland does. You think 18-year old Ovechkin isn't on team freaking Finland's 1st line at the WC?

 

[Rabid Ranger]

Laine is a top prospect but all of this correlation to his international career as a harbinger for immediate NHL success is off base IMO.

 

[FrozenJagrt]

Yes better than Ovechkin and it wasn't close. You obviously did not watch both of them at 18 since you have a problem with that. Statistics and eye test both tell you this fact.

You keep talking about the eye test, how you spent so much time watching Ovechkin when he was 18. As I remember it, everyone that watched Ovechkin in the years leading up to his draft knew he was going to be a megastar. We're his numbers impressive? No. But no one had very impressive numbers in the RSL, it was a very different kind of league from what we're all used to.

Laine has been excellent this year, but no objective observer would give him the edge over Ovechkin using the "eye test". There have been some questions about aspects of Laine's game. In 03,in 04, there were none about Ovechkin's. The scouting reports are all out there to take a look at if you're willing to hunt.

 

[aceman80]

I was in Hämeenlinna back in the day when Ovechkin was playing in WJC.
He was really good with that tinted mask but so was Laine in Helsinki. You never know,it is different league in NHL.
He may hit 30 or 10 or even less. Only thing with Laine what makes difference with anyone who i seen in long time is his attitude,he is cool customer with eye in goal,when pressure goes up so does his performance.
By the way,in 2004 WJC in two russia games Semin was their best player,seemed like supermegastar then.

 

[FrozenJagrt]

Yes, yes, the world juniors and all that.

Two week tournaments have never been indicative of who will become a better player, and I don't care what level the tournament is played at. Throughout his professional career, Ovechkin has come up short again and again at international tournaments. He's still the best damn goal scorer we've seen in decades and easily the second best player of his generation.

So when someone cites tournament accomplishments and they eye test to suggest that Laine at 18 is better than Ovechkin was at 18, I have to disagree. Laine has looked better than a LOT of 18 year olds, no doubt. But to me, not better than a guy that teams tried to bend the rules to acquire. Everyone that was watching knew Ovechkin would be special.

Then again... He was born in September. So that probably means his talents and accomplishments don't count as much because extra year of development or some such nonsense. Sorry, digging up old jokes.

 

[illone84]

Statistics?

The RSL was a far better league than the SM-Liiga. Ovechkin wasn't handed top-line minutes either. Perhaps you don't remember his dominant performances at the WJC, or his goal record setting at the U18 when he was only 16.

Laine is getting opportunities Ovechkin wasn't handed because Russia produces better talent than Finland does. You think 18-year old Ovechkin isn't on team freaking Finland's 1st line at the WC?

LOL Do your homework there mate. Ovechkin made the russian world cup squad when he was 18 and played all 6 games for Team Russia. Also, Laine won't be on the WC first line, where did you pull that information from, your a$#? And no, 18 year old Ovechkin wouldn't be neither.

Getting back to topic, I think Laine nets 25+ goals his first season.

 

[Halberdier]

Lol. HYPE!!!!!!!

I will be astounded if he nets 25 or more his rookie year. I personally don't think he will reach the Ovi level of being a 50G a year player in the first four seasons of five....but if he does that would be fantastic

Sure he may of played very well in his pre draft year but lets see what he can actually do in his rookie season before proclaiming him the best goal score since Ovi.

Not hype. He said that 18 years old Laine was better than 18 years old Ovi. And that was not even close.

Ovi was 20 years old when he had his rookie season. Nobody can tell if 20 years old Laine will beat Ovi's rookie season, but that would bee amazing. We will see that in 2019. Until that point, it's all speculation.

 

[catnip]

Forgetting Ovechkin for a moment, I'd say 25+ goals would be a reasonable rookie-season expectation for a guy touted as the best goal-scoring prospect since forever. This is based on the observation that quite a few supposedly lesser scorers have been in the 20+ ballpark lately. It would seem a tad ridiculous to first go on and on, in thread after thread, how Laine's near generational and then basically turn around and concede that 10-15 goals would be great. It's not bad but it's not should've-gone-first-overall great no matter how you spin it.

 

[kelsier]

Forgetting Ovechkin for a moment, I'd say 25+ goals would be a reasonable rookie-season expectation for a guy touted as the best goal-scoring prospect since forever. This is based on the observation that quite a few supposedly lesser scorers have been in the 20+ ballpark lately. It would seem a tad ridiculous to first go on and on, in thread after thread, how Laine's near generational and then basically turn around and concede that 10-15 goals would be great. It's not bad but it's not should've-gone-first-overall great no matter how you spin it.

Just because Laine's season looks generational and he could be a generational player doesn't take anything away from Matthews. Also Laine's injury a few years ago halted his development, so the data from the season 2014-15 is a bit misleading. No one can tell what could have been or how he would have played in the FEL had he been healthy on the prior off-season and able to workout. So basically the scouts had to go with what he was able to accomplish on 15-16. I don't want another debate, but the Leafs had a glaring hole down the middle and maybe their only chance of grabbing that badly needed franchise center and they took it. That's pretty much the end of the story and means it's time to turn a new page.

Don't think 25 goals is impossible at all. We can only wait and see what kind of Laine comes out of the gates as the season begins and how much the injury inflicted by Perry hurt his progress in skating.

 

[teravaineSAROS]

I think Laine will have a weak first half of the season, because of his injury delaying things and because I think he's bound to take longer to adapt to the NHL game than Rantanen and Puljujärvi because of playing styles, explosiveness etc etc. Pulju for example is a physical freak of nature unlike Laine with that VO2 max and explosiveness for his size giving him the option to just grind along until he gets opportunities. he even shoots harder than Laine, I don't buy the stick excuse. When he picks things up he'll be scary good though.

he'll be meh at first, then people and leafs fans on HFBoards will laugh at him saying he's a bust at the age of 18 even though most of the best players didn't even play in the NHL at that age.

 

[ijuka]

I predict that most people will be surprised and entirely regardless of points scored, Laine will play a very solid neutral game on both ends.

 

[Plural]

I predict that most people will be surprised and entirely regardless of points scored, Laine will play a very solid neutral game on both ends.

That's what I'm hoping too. Obviously Laine is going to score a lot of goals during his career. Wether that happens from the get go or he takes a year or two to develop is not an issue. Dude has a great career ahead of him and barring injuries he should be able to stick it in the NHL for a long time. His natural talent is so great.

What I would like to see is Laine being one of the rare wingers who actually keeps their junior effort level on both sides of the rink. A lot of people don't seem to remember this, but junior Ovechkin was excellent defensive player. Even better than Laine has been. It was all over his scouting reports and on expert analysis. Obviously Ovechkin didn't keep that. Once he hit NHL ice he started to play all out offense. Which is not a bad thing by any means. But he threw basically all his defensive effort out of the window. That probably helped him to score bit more goals, but I'm nor sure if it made him better player. It definitely made him more legendary player, since his goal-totals are so gaudy.

If and when Laine breaks in to the NHL, would be cool to see him keep the effort on defensive side of the game and maybe even expand it. I don't want him to sacrifice his goal totals too much. But I also don't want him to become completely one sided winger either. So even if Laine will never reach Ovechkin level (most likely not even Selanne level) goal-scoring greatness, he may still hit the level of the absolute best on the planet. Because of his overall game.

 

[The Assclown]

Just because Laine's season looks generational and he could be a generational player doesn't take anything away from Matthews. Also Laine's injury a few years ago halted his development, so the data from the season 2014-15 is a bit misleading. No one can tell what could have been or how he would have played in the FEL had he been healthy on the prior off-season and able to workout. So basically the scouts had to go with what he was able to accomplish on 15-16. I don't want another debate, but the Leafs had a glaring hole down the middle and maybe their only chance of grabbing that badly needed franchise center and they took it. That's pretty much the end of the story and means it's time to turn a new page.

Don't think 25 goals is impossible at all. We can only wait and see what kind of Laine comes out of the gates as the season begins and how much the injury inflicted by Perry hurt his progress in skating.

Is Laine really generational? That means Laine is essentially McDavid in overall talent and projected impact. Those are some pretty hefty expectations you're placing on the young man.