Yeah, cause getting 17 minutes a game, doesn't sound like a valid excuse to make up for much of the difference. And his ES numbers don't show he should of been easily promoted. 13 goals in 64 games at ES, yet the reason he didn't score more was just cause of line placement.....
Its more an excuse than actually explaining.
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You really just taking points way you want people see things and questioned in small samples, you don't wanna see whole picture and actually i think you see that, but you don't wan't to admit that and you again and again pointing things how you want to people see it. But most of we can see bigger picture, context and whole thing with realism that Laine's season was best more than decades in undrafted player and Pulju is not that far away to have amazing season himself too.
Laine was better and better when it comes to this year (he start to get more ice time and PP time in first PP) and games where it matter a most and he shows to be a clutch player, Auston didn't show anything. Autumn was good for Laine, but he didn't produce that much only WJC and after that.
WJC which is tougher competition at least 17 years old playing with other 17 years old and 18 years 2nd rounder (no one could see what they can do and what they did in WJC against players who should be better than them). 7 game 7+6=13 (AM have same age 3 points). This year Laine has FEL regular season 13 games 9+8=17. FEL playoffs 18 games 10+5=15 and then WHC 10 games 7+5=12. No it's not sample size opinion. If we don't look WJC, Laine have this year
41 games and 26+18=44 points so much more tougher competition than NLA and most of games and points is much tougher competition than FEL regular season. If we put WJC there too, it's
48 games and 33+24=57. So there you have, it's not anymore just little sample, but almost same amount of games what AM play whole season (AM have 10 games more).
With medals, honors, records and awards that no one just not a single player in Europe have had in 17-18 years old.
So, bad autumn like i said, but WJC and after that was just sex.
Look other young players (U24) who are now NHL stars or close and play in Europe before draft:
Yevgeni Kuznetsov WJC 6 2+0=2, KHL 35 2+6=8, MHL 9 4+12=16, not many playoffs game.
Filip Forsberg WJC 6 0+1=1, Allsvenskan 43 8+9=17, playoffs 10 2+1=3.
Nikita Kucherov didn't play WJC, KHL 9 0+2=2, MHL 23 24+19=43, MHL playoffs 10 5+8=13.
Alexander Barkov WJC 6 3+4=7, FEL 51 21+27=48, FEL playoffs 5 0+5=5.
Mika Zibanejad didn't play WJC, SHL 26 5+4=9, not many playoffs game.
Victor Rask didn't play WJC, Allsvenskan 37 5+6=11, no playoffs games.
NLA is closer to Allsvenskan or MHL than FEL or SHL. FEL and SEL is closer to KHL. All of them was 17 years old and turn draft year 18, not like AM who was 18 years old whole season.