Coach admires Laine’s candor leading up to pre-season debut

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This article was published 02/10/2016 (3285 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

CALGARY — Hockey players are tough guys, usually loathe to admit vulnerablity.

So it was a little surprising when 18-year-old rookie Patrik Laine admitted to a case of nerves after his NHL pre-season debut against the Edmonton Oilers Friday night, his coach said.

The sensational Finn, a No. 2 overall draft pick of the Winnipeg Jets in the summer, wasn’t happy with his performance (he went pointless with a handful of good scoring opportunities) but was predicting improvement his next time out.

It was all music to Jets head coach Paul Maurice’s ears.

“That’s such a good thing, right, to admit that?” said Maurice with a wide grin prior to Laine’s second game Sunday against the Calgary Flames at the Scotiabank Saddledome. “It’s refreshing. I like the candor and I like the fact he would come to an NHL rink and feel nervous in his first exhibition game. I’m not going to comment a lot on (his) game or anyone (else) because I don’t think it really matters much.”

Laine’s self-deprecating approach in training camp doesn’t mean he can avoid being the most-scrutinized member of the Jets in pre-season. For Maurice, the possibilities seem almost limitless.

“All I know is every time this kid goes down the ice, it’s on his stick and you feel there’s a chance it could go in,” he said. “I just haven’t seen anybody shoot the puck like that in a very long time.”

Laine has another edge on most young players, a quality you don’t normally associate with elite snipers.

“He’s much better, defensively aware, than the vast majority of players his age,” said Maurice, who added he was not surprised to see that in Laine’s game.

“No, I’ve seen it — watched him. This is a horrible stereotype but it’s a positive one. Most Finnish players, they come through that system and they’re well-schooled defensively.”

But it’s his all-world shooting ability that gets everyone excited.

“It’s a talent not a lot of people have,” said Maurice, who slotted Laine on a line with centre Bryan Little and right-winger Joel Armia Sunday night. “And he gets it off on the one-timer, the quick wrister (and) the snapper. He dials that thing in and it’s a great asset.”

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Veteran hockey man Bob Lowes got a fresh start when he worked his first day with another NHL organization Sunday.

Lowes, who had been on staff with the Ottawa Senators since 2006 and the franchise’s chief amateur scout for the past two seasons, recently accepted a job as the assistant director of player personnel with the expansion Las Vegas franchise. His duties will be a mix of amateur and pro scouting, where he will work with director of player personnel Vaughn Karpan and assistant GM Kelly McCrimmon.

Lowes has a long history with McCrimmon in Brandon where they guided the Wheat Kings to a WHL title in 1996 and made two Memorial Cup appearances together as head coach and GM, respectively.

“It was tough to leave Ottawa because of the people,” said Lowes, 53. “But this kind of opportunity doesn’t come along very often. Working with Kelly again was big… and I’ve been friends with Vaughn for a long time.”

Sunday, Lowes was in Brandon to watch the presumptive No. 1 overall pick Nolan Patrick. Las Vegas will have a lottery choice in the 2017 draft.

mike.sawatzky@freepress.mb.caTwitter: @sawa14