Comparison: Auston Matthews vs. Patrik Laine

John MacLean, a three-time 40-goal scorer and Stanley Cup champion with the 1995 New Jersey Devils, said he's been extremely impressed with rookies forwards Patrik Laine of the Winnipeg Jets and Auston Matthews of the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Laine and Matthews are Nos. 1-2, respectively, in rookie scoring this season.

"It's like the perfect storm for two players like that to enter this League the way it is right now," said MacLean, now an NHL Network analyst. "I think for them even more so because they are each coming from a men's league so they're comfortable with this."
Laine, 18, had 17 goals and 33 points in 46 games last season with Tappara in Liiga, the top professional league in Finland. Matthews, 19, had 24 goals and 46 points in 36 games with Zurich of National League A, the top league in Switzerland.
"It seems to me Laine was pushing it a little more in Finland playing in that league," MacLean said. "Matthews having that late birthdate [he was born three days after the Sept. 14, 1997 cutoff for the 2015 draft] worked to his advantage, and playing in the Swiss league really helped him a lot.
"You can see the maturity level on the ice and I think they're both in great situations and used differently in the situations they play."
Laine and Matthews are on pace to surpass their respective European league point totals last season. Laine leads NHL rookies with 19 goals and 30 points in 36 games, and his 19.8 shooting percentage is second among rookies to play at least 15 games.
Matthews is second to Laine among rookies with 16 goals and 26 points in 33 games. He is first among rookies and sixth in the League in shots on goal with 121. He's on pace for 300 shots on goal. Since the 1987-88 season, two rookies have reached that mark: Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals with 425 in 2005-06 and Teemu Selanne of the Winnipeg Jets with 387 in 1992-93.
MacLean compared the two rookies in four categories: skating, shooting, leadership and handling pressure.

Skating

"I think they're both pretty similar on the skating aspect. They're both strong on their skates. I just think that Laine will be the more end-to-end type guy. I think below the tops of the circles is where you're going to see the darting ability, skating and control of Matthews."

Shooting

On Laine: "It's scary watching Laine. I love his shot. It's all about the release. Goalies cannot pick this shot up. Many of the goals he's scored, the goaltender had no idea it was coming [and] it goes by them so quickly. The speed that it comes off his stick and the way he disguises it coming off the stick is probably the most impressive thing. He's going to be no different than other pure goal scorers in that they don't miss the net and Laine doesn't miss the net often.
"To me accuracy is the No. 1 thing when it comes to shooting. With velocity it's more disguise, it's where you're shooting it. Now, Alex Ovechkin was the original guy to figure it out as far as the whip and disguise off the stick. [Ovechkin] has kind of perfected it with his shot. All great goal scorers get compared, but let's face it, Laine is 6-foot-5. He's Brett Hull and I think he still probably has more to his game."

On Matthews: "The puck finds him. With Matthews, it's going to be a learning process with getting to that top level night in and night out, as it is with all rookies. Look, this is a tough league. You go through stretches and you try to figure it out. Laine does it a little bit but he played so many games last year and I think his size and strength helps him so much. Matthews is big and strong too, but just the consistency of playing all the games. That's why you see a little more of a drought with him sometimes. Then, when he gets hot, you see what happens. The puck finds him all the time; it sticks to him and he can handle it low and as good as anybody. I feel he's now starting to understand and generating more shots on net."

Leadership

On Laine: "Laine is like, 'Hey guys, I'm over here,' and he loves it. He loves the spotlight and the attention and he's getting it. He doesn't shy away from it."
On Matthews: "The presence on the ice is different for each player. Matthews is a little more shielded as far as his presence with the team and he has other great young talent around him. But I think he's shielded by management and coaching with how he's used. Toronto isn't shining the spotlight on him until everyone in the organization is comfortable that he is the guy."

Handling pressure

On Laine: "I think they've both handled it extremely well. I think it's very impressive for an 18-year-old to have this type of maturity but I don't think either one backs off and they handle it in different ways. I think we can look at it and probably get greater quotes from Laine, but they are both smart on that front. Laine came into the League like that, but so did Matthews."

On Matthews: "He's in the biggest market so he'll be a little more guarded. There's an incredible amount of pressure, and for him he's lucky that he was picked by that team and the people running that team. With [Maple Leafs president] Brendan Shanahan and [general manager] Lou Lamoriello, they understand it. So does [coach] Mike Babcock. Matthews has bigger personalities there with him who have done great things. I think they'll guard against him giving it too much, too soon. I think it's paying off for Matthews too. I expect a big second half of the season for him."

Head to Head comparison

(Games through Dec. 25)
Matthews
Games: 33
G-A-Pts: 16-10-26
Shots on goal: 121
Avg. ice time: 17:42
Hits: 6
\Goals created per game: 0.35
SAT: plus-43
Points per 60 minutes (all situations): 2.67
Laine
Games: 36
G-A-Pts: 19-11-30
Shots on goal: 96
Avg. ice time: 18:23
Hits: 44
\Goals created per game: 0.37
SAT: minus-58
Points per 60 minutes (all situations): 2.72
\- information courtesy Hockey-reference.com*