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That one-timer, which Laine joked is so unstoppable that “I will score 99 times out of 100 — the stick will break once,” has already been responsible for most of Laine’s 22 goals. With 40 points in 44 games, the Winnipeg Jets forward is leading all rookies and is tied for 25th in scoring. He would be even higher if not for missing eight games because of a concussion, the result of a “welcome to the NHL” bodycheck earlier this month.

It’s a meteoric rise for a player who is still only 18 years old. But it’s not exactly surprising.

Laine has been riding a wave of momentum that began last year, when he won gold at the world juniors and a league championship in the Finnish Liga, and then was named MVP at the world hockey championship. As Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask said, the expectation from Finnish media was that Laine would be the second coming of Teemu Selanne. Not that he’s disappointed.

“Being from Finland, reading Finnish newspapers, those guys were writing about him every day. What kind of car he drives, what’s he eating for breakfast,” said Rask, who played with Laine at the World Cup of Hockey. “Obviously, people are going to be skeptical about it, but he’s proving he can be an offensive threat in this league right from the get-go.”

Laine already has two hat-tricks and four game-winning goals for Winnipeg. He credited his teammates for making the transition to the NHL look so easy, but he’s been a big reason for the team’s success. The Jets went 3-4-1 with him out of the line-up. Since returning, he has one goal and two assists in two games, extending a point streak to a season-high six games, with 10 points in that stretch.