Laine renews confidence with stellar World Cup Performance, excited for future in Davos

[Laine 1,361]

Davos, Switzerland - It's been an emotional 48 hours for Patrik Laine. The 25 year old Finn woke up on Tuesday Morning to the news that he had been shipped off to Davos for a sum that included 3 roster players, and countless draft picks. Later that same day, he learned that Team Nordic, the World Cup team he watched growing up, hadn't selected him to represent their roster at this year's World Cup. Instead, Laine was picked up by Team Mercenaries for the second World Cup in a row. These pieces of news seemed to fire up the Finn, as he put on a show during Day 1 of the World Cup today. In 5 games, Laine recorded 6 goals and 5 assists, including a hat trick. He ranks 1st in points and goals so far. We managed to catch up with the Finn and ask him some questions.

 

Laine (pictured) was traded alongside a pair of 4th round picks to the HC Davos Dynamo on Tuesday for CGY's S80 1st, DAV's S80 2nd, DAV's S80 4th, and DAV's S81 2nd as well as Raihan Heavems, Griff Mackenzie, and Declan Wolf.

Laine was asked to comment on the trade. He says he was really upset at first.

 

"You know, I had a great thing going in Helsinki. We had a great bunch and to wake up to that news was genuinely shocking to me. I spent the day saying goodbyes to my teammates and it was an emotional ride, especially with other players on their way out as well. Saying goodbye to Valtteri [Vaakanainen] was probably the hardest of all. Him and I had been through thick and thin together and were practically brothers of the ice. I'm really going to miss playing on a line with him."

Laine tells us he's still really excited for his new journey in Davos.

 

"Davos is obviously a really good team. They have a great fanbase and I know Reinhart which will make the transition easier. They were the first to text me after the trade and I'm really excited for the opportunity that has presented itself to me."

 

Laine said he was really disappointed initially when he heard that Nordic had not selected him.

 

"To me, that was a painful punch in the gut. Getting skipped earlier in my career made sense, but I'm in my prime and they still overlook me. They set this fire off inside me by not selecting me, and its going to be burning all season long."

 

Laine says when he got the call from the GM of the Mercs, he says it was a sigh of relief.

 

"The Mercs selected me last time and when I got that call from [Alex], I was really excited. I had played on the Mercs last time and had a lot of fun. It was a sigh of relief to know that I can still have a shot at this high of a stage."

 

Laine talked about his individual performances on the day. He says a lot of them didn't start with him.

 

"You know, I get all the credit because I am the leader in points, but my teammates were great. It only took one practice to get us in sync and I owe my success so far to them."

The second set of World Cup games will be played on Thursday.

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Spoiler

Mentioned: @Jubo @Alex_J32 @Ricer13

 

[Alex 2,894]

Great article, Let's Go Mercs!

[JB123 722]

Review: Great read, like the format of the interview. Title sums it up well and gets people's attention. Intro is good by providing info. Image and caption add to the article. Grammar and spelling are all set too. Just missing one thing: the part where Laine trashes Torts. 9.5/10

Edited July 15, 2021 by JB123

[FrostBeard 1,984]

I have personally been a huge fan of interview/interaction style posts, gives that immersion that we sometimes lack in VHL! Great style, great formatting, makes me already see the great writing skill you have. I love that you touched on team Nordic not selecting you as the member of their team, I find it equally worrying. That said, overall, great article, nothing bad to say about it. Just keep up the good work! 10/10