Excitement Builds Around Patrik Laine
By jmessineo
7 years agoLast year at this time, the Winnipeg Jets were filled with optimism. The Jets finished with a 43-26-13 record, clinching a playoff birth for the first time since the franchise moved from Atlanta to Winnipeg. Fast-forward to now, and the Jets are back to mediocrity.
After a disappointing 2015-2016 season in which they finished last in the central division with a 35-39-9 record, the Jets shifted their attention to the offseason. The Jets weren’t preparing to have a top pick in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft, but they got lucky. With the 6th worst record last season, the Jets only had a 7.5% chance to land the first pick, 7.8% chance of the second pick, and 8.2% chance of the third pick.
The ping-pong balls bounced in Winnipeg’s favour as they landed the second pick. The Toronto Maple Leafs won the lottery and landed the number one pick and faced the question on who to draft. The two top prospects were American centre Auston Matthews and Finnish right-winger Patrik Laine. The Maple Leafs went with Matthews over Laine with the number one pick. Thirteen scouts seem to agree, as they voted 11-2 in favour of Matthews over Laine.
The Jets were ecstatic to land the 18 year-old Finnish scorer with the number two pick. Laine was an elite scorer at the 2016 IIHF World Championship Tournament, putting up the second most points by a U19 player in history. Laine recorded an extremely impressive 12 points in 10 games, which was still not enough to beat Sidney Crosby’s 16. Laine’s led the entire tournament with seven goals with his 12 points best for fourth in the entire tournament.
Laine does not have the frame of your average eighteen year old, coming in as 6’4” and 206 pounds. Jets fans are super excited to see Laine on the ice, as he has been tagged as “The Next Alexander Ovechkin.” Ryan Kennedy, Associate Senior Writer and prospect expert of The Hockey News has high praise for Laine saying:
“The Ovechkin comps are obvious: big-time shooter who loves to run guys over and also happens to be a fun interview. And really, someone has to be the next big, powerful sniper in the NHL. Laine’s season included a gold medal at the world juniors, a Finnish Liiga championship and silver at the World Championship, where he was also named MVP. He is incredibly fun to watch and will definitely be ready for an NHL slot immediately.”
Laine hears the high praise, but doesn’t let it get to his head, as he works to perfect his shot every day. Laine has said, “When I was on the ice at practice, I would always stay later after everyone left and keep shooting. That’s the only way to get better. You have to make sacrifices to be the best.”
Laine also is very confident in his game, saying this when asked about scoring 50 goals, “I think I have the ability and that talent that you need and the skills that you need to score that many goals and points. I think it someday could be possible and I want to work hard so that I can make that come true one day.”
With training camp soon approaching, Winnipeg Jets fans are excited that they get to watch this confident, hard-working, and uber-talented player come in and hopefully be a day one contributor.
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