If Finnish prospect Patrik Laine was a member of the Toronto Maple Leafs' brass, he would select himself with the first overall pick.
The confident 18-year-old told TSN's Gary Lawless on Thursday that he feels he has played well enough to earn a No. 1 selection.
"My season was the best," Laine said. "It was pretty amazing. Everything went so well all the time. I didn’t have any tough times. It all fell into place. It was amazing to be part of the teams I was on and to have that success together. My opinion is I should be drafted first overall. You never know what’s going to happen. I think it’s going to be a tough race right until the end."
Laine captured gold at the World Juniors and picked up a silver at the World Championship last month, collecting a combined 25 points in 17 games. He feels that his play has been stellar enough that a stint in the American Hockey League will not be necessary for his development, though living with his mother might be.
"My first year, I want to play the entire year in the NHL and not have to go to the AHL to learn the North American game," Laine said. "My mom will come with me for the start. I can’t live on my own. I can’t cook and I don’t want to have to eat out every day. It will be good to have mom around for the cooking and the laundry and everything."
Laine enters the draft ranked second among all international skaters, behind the highly touted Auston Matthews.
