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

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JawandaPuck

JawandaPuck

Lost Art of Dynasty
Apr 10, 2007
4,545
28
Vancouver BC
Patrik Laine - #29 Tappara, FEL
RW, RHS | 6'4" 209 lbs
Birth: April 19, 1998, Tampere, Finland

2014_10_15_patrik_laine_leki-9x.jpg




Previous Thread: http://hfboards.mandatory.com/showthread.php?t=1987931
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Laine is having a magnificent first season in Liiga. Currently leads in rookies by 9 points (27) with also fewest games (33) played of the top-10. Puljujärvi has 18 points. He has 7th best PPG ratio in Liiga.

While Puljujärvi definately came out as the better player than before the tournament, Laine personally has seem taking it slightly easier in the Liiga games since returning.

I've seen Laine's every Liiga game this season and I think he has ran out of gas in some of the recent games. Just doesn't seem to have that energy he had earlier to deke, skate and challenge opponents than he had before. This is of course expected to be happening since kid is only 17 playing his first full season in Liiga. Sure, Tappara has had some weird game streaks recently (6 games in 9 days) and the 7 game of WJC hockey could still affect him. But it's still noteworthy he has 11 points in his 9 games since returning the WJC.

Makes me wonder how strongly this kid could produce in one or two years if he would stay in Liiga.



For me, watching this kid play has definately been the most interesting thing to do in Liiga.
 
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Yes, he has definitely looked a bit gassed these last few games. He still creates chances, but his puck handling doesn't look as effortless and he doesn't power his way through as much. His goal scoring instinct hasn't gone anywhere, though.
 
Jaynki said:
You'd take Chychrun or Pulju before?
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Puljujarvi. Laine just doesn't have the skating ability to challenge Puljujarvi and Matthews who compete for the 1st overall. Skating is so so important in the NHL. I don't think everyone here understands it. Laine is great player though as i said.
 
Tuomaz said:
Puljujarvi. Laine just doesn't have the skating ability to challenge Puljujarvi and Matthews who compete for the 1st overall. Skating is so so important in the NHL. I don't think everyone here understands it. Laine is great player though as i said.
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Matthews is a worse skater than Laine IMO
 
HeavyMcHitter97 said:
Not at all.
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Matthews is more agile and fluent but Laine is definetly faster skater. Puljujärvi is best skater of these three guys but IMO falls behind with his puck skills and maturity.

Laine and Matthews have poise and puck seems to be glued into their sticks with Puljujärvi i see alot of misshandling the puck and it is bouncing alot, when he has tough situation when he has to make decision faster he doesen't have poise to make move to buy time for himself or do a correct play. That might come with maturity but right now he isn't on Matthews/Laine level to me.

Puljujärvi is most raw prospect of the top 3. He has best physical tools but has to show growth in his other areas of the game. This season in Liiga his growth have been disappointment for me except after WJC's where he has started to show some growth. In the other hand Laine haven't been playing with alot of energy like earlier in the season but i've seen alot of maturity in his game and he's getting those bounces right now and has produced even higher rate than JP. JP tightened the gap between top 2 with his WJC performance but that is not enough for me to put him in the same discussion. This is my opinion.
 
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Tuomaz said:
No way. Laine is pretty much done if he has to stop like he will need to do in the NHL a lot. Laine gains all his speed through the momentum what he can't do in NHL.
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Just means that he has to improve his first few steps, I.e. gain some explosiveness. Apart from genetic freaks like Ovechkin and Kovalchuk, every 17-year-old big kid struggles with this. In this way Laine's skating looks very similar to Barkov at the same age. Both are strong on their skates, quite smooth, both have very good top speed, but need to work on the first steps. Barkov now is a very good skater at the NHL level. Laine should likely be able to do the same.

Oh and btw Barkov was and Laine is considered a "+ skater" by scouts.
 
YARR123 said:
Just means that he has to improve his first few steps, I.e. gain some explosiveness. Apart from genetic freaks like Ovechkin and Kovalchuk, every 17-year-old big kid struggles with this. In this way Laine's skating looks very similar to Barkov at the same age. Both are strong on their skates, quite smooth, both have very good top speed, but need to work on the first steps. Barkov now is a very good skater at the NHL level. Laine should likely be able to do the same.

Oh and btw Barkov was and Laine is considered a "+ skater" by scouts.
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No, Laine is better skater with better speed and balance. Barkov has developed alot in skating and he is good skater right now. Pay attention how shifty and agile Barkov is today with that large frame. Laine needs similar kind of sharpness in his skating but he is faster than Barkov no doubt about it. Firsts steps needs more power and if we remember his skating last year compared to this year there is strong case that he has still alot room to grow. He is 17 year old huge kid and still growing into his body.
 
Jeepers Creeper said:
In terms of skating, Laine has probably top speed to match Matthews (and even that is highly debatable) and that's it. Matthews has him beat in every other aspect.
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lol what? Matthews doesnt have better shot, than Laine. And i havent seen Matthews use his body better than Laine (hits)
 
Snowsii said:
lol what? Matthews doesnt have better shot, than Laine. And i havent seen Matthews use his body better than Laine (hits)
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lol what? read my post again. Never suggested that.

EDIT: And Matthews does "use" his body as well if not better than Laine. Hitting is not the only way to "use" one's body.
 
Snowsii said:
lol what? Matthews doesnt have better shot, than Laine. And i havent seen Matthews use his body better than Laine (hits)
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Let's be honest right here. While Matthews doesen't posess similar onetimer than Laine or as heavy wristshot that can beat goalie everywhere in the offensive zone he has elite shot too. I don't think there is much difference in close range wrist shot shooting. Matthews can pick spots and posesses really accurate and lethal wrister. I give edge to Laine but wouldn't be suprised if Matthews ended up 40+ goal scorer in the NHL.
 
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thomast said:
No, Laine is better skater with better speed and balance. Barkov has developed alot in skating and he is good skater right now. Pay attention how shifty and agile Barkov is today with that large frame. Laine needs similar kind of sharpness in his skating but he is faster than Barkov no doubt about it. Firsts steps needs more power and if we remember his skating last year compared to this year there is strong case that he has still alot room to grow. He is 17 year old huge kid and still growing into his body.
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Well, you pretty much agree with what I said. My point is that Barkov had similar issues, and he turned out very well. Laine can improve in similar fashion. Perhaps you're right that Laine is at a better starting point.
 
Can an unbiased poster chime in?

How much will Laine's skating ability be a detriment to him in the NHL?

When I watched him at the WJC he seemed lkie he could keep with almost anyone there
 
Frankenstein said:
Can an unbiased poster chime in?

How much will Laine's skating ability be a detriment to him in the NHL?

When I watched him at the WJC he seemed lkie he could keep with almost anyone there
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Not just keep up but blow by. Laine at 15 year old and younger was a great skating kid then just at the point of growth spurt stop he had the injury. Couple seasons of motor skills developing and he's back on top of the age group. To my eye he's almost already there.

People often don't take into account that a prospect who has had an injury related stalling in there development generally get a higher development curve for a couple seasons, generally "not missing a beat" after a few seasons have passed by. Laine is well on his way back to be at the top.
 
Frankenstein said:
Can an unbiased poster chime in?

How much will Laine's skating ability be a detriment to him in the NHL?

When I watched him at the WJC he seemed lkie he could keep with almost anyone there
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I was watching him live in Helsinki and his skating looked strong, and he's been able to improve it a lot during the last year after his injury problems were gone and have no doubts on why he couldn't improve it again before pre season starts.

Turns/start is where he needs to get stronger but Barkov was able to improve those a lot at 19y.
Laine wants to become the best player and he knows that's his weakness.

So personnally really don't see his skating being a problem in the NHL.
 
I would seriously consider Laine 1st overall. I think he may become the best winger in the league at some point. I cant remember the last time I saw someone with the skill-set he has.
 
He's going #2 overall. He's the second best player available, and will be consensus #2 by June.
 
1972 said:
He's going #2 overall. He's the second best player available, and will be consensus #2 by June.
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These kind of comments are in my opinion quite arrogant. I mean sure Matthews has already a long time been the favorite to be the 1st pick in this draft. But to be so sure about it and especially about Matthews being the better player is in my opinion more like just desperately wanting him to be better but not taking into account that Laine has been lately the better player by results. Laine was better at WJC, and after it he has been on the same level with Matthews's scoring pace in NLA with his scoring pace in FEL. And for God's sake it is definitely harder to score goals in FEL than in NLA.

I still see it also that Matthews is most likely the number 1 pick (because of being a center, North American and also a very good prospect, not because being necessarily better than Laine). But it's good to remember that there is quite much left of the season, and to dismiss that is pure arrogance and homerism. I believe that if either of these young supertalents play really good playoffs for their team and contribute specificly to their team's success, while the other one of them wouldn't manage to do it at the same level, then this should be something that would after all decide whom is at the moment the better talent. If any NHL team wouldn't take this kind of thing into account they would be blind and stupid. But lets see a bit further. And lets see also a couple of years further which one of them will really be the better player. I believe it will be Laine, but I don't still proclaim it like it's God's word. I could also be easily wrong, as Matthews is really a great talent too.
 
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