Patrik Laine just continues to impress at the world championships, and now leads the tournament in scoring with six points in two games.
Sunday against Germany, he produced two goals and one assist for the second straight game, and in doing so broke Jaromir Jagr‘s 26-year-old record in the process.
At the 1990 World Championships in Switzerland, Jagr scored three goals and two assists to become the highest-scoring under-18 player at a world championship in the modern era, a feat unmatched until now.
Both Jagr and Laine were actually 18 years old at the time of their respective tournaments, yet eligible to play for their country at the U18 worlds.
Here’s a look at the damage Auston Matthews’ challenger for the No. 1 pick did against Germany.
That’s Laine in his familiar spot at the top of the circle on his off-wing unloading a one-timer past Timo Pielmeier to open the scoring on the power play. Laine’s shot has been compared to Alex Ovechkin’s in the past and you can see why.
Not long after, on another power play, Laine finds a seam and sends the puck cross-ice to Jussi Jokinen who quickly dishes to Leo Komarov for an easy tap-in. At this point, Jagr’s record is matched before Laine’s second game at the worlds is even 10 minutes old.
With time running out in the third period, Mikko Koivu‘s centring pass is tipped by German defenceman Denis Reul, but the puck still gets through to Laine, who unleashes a wrister that goes through Pielmeier to give Laine his sixth point of the tournament, passing Jagr.
The young Finn is now tied with Jaroslav Drobny, who scored six goals at the 1939 worlds back when assists weren’t tracked, for the most points by an U18 player in tournament history.
Though Matthews is still projected to go No. 1 to the Toronto Maple Leafs (assuming they keep their pick), Laine is doing his part to make it as difficult a decision as possible.
Wherever he lands, it’s going to be a whole lot of fun watching Laine, (and probably Jagr, too) tear up the NHL for the next 15 years.
