Tapola said the first time he saw Laine was 2014-15, when he played for LeKi in Mestis, the second division in Finland. Laine, then 16, would on occasion skate with Tappara that season. Tapola said all Laine needed to improve was his skating and defensive-zone coverage if he had any intention of playing regularly in Liiga.
"His domination in Liiga came through the skating and his scoring skills, especially on the power play since he had Liiga's best playmaker [Kristian Kuusela] skating with him," Tapola said.
Kuusela, 34, has spent the past 14-plus seasons in Liiga. His career-high 59 points (20 goals, 39 assists) came with Laine as his linemate last season.
Laine had 33 points (17 goals, 16 assists), a plus-6 rating, 253 shots (5.5 per game) and averaged 17:16 in ice time in 46 regular-season games for Tappara. He won the Jari Kurri Trophy as playoff MVP after scoring 15 points (10 goals, five assists) in 18 games for the league champion.
Laine is producing at an even greater rate his first season in the NHL. He leads all rookies with 32 goals and 58 points in 58 games, and is tied for the lead in power-play goals (eight) with Maple Leafs center William Nylander.