Patrik Laine would make the Winnipeg Jets dangerous next year

For Winnipeg, this means going from pick #6 to pick #2. You can definitely get a great player at 6th overall- just ask the Anaheim Ducks, or the Arizona Coyotes, or even the Minnesota Wild. But winning the 2nd overall pick means that Winnipeg gets to select not only a higher caliber of prospect, but one that's statistically much more likely to be an impact NHL player.

And with two extremely good prospects vying to be drafted #1 overall by Toronto, Winnipeg basically got pick #1B in this draft. In this mock draft Toronto took Auston Matthews, so the Jets are going to select Patrik Laine from Tappara of Finland's Liiga.

Winnipeg's Prospect Pool

Has anyone ever mentioned that the Central Division is good?

About Patrik Laine

Laine has climbed the draft rankings this entire season, first passing presumptive top-Finnish prospect Jesse Puljujarvi, and now challenging Auston Matthews for the #1 ranking.

It's not hard to see why, either. Laine is 6'4", handles the puck extremely well, and is a very creative offensive player. Also notable: That shot!

That shot! It's impossible to talk about Patrick Laine without mentioning that shot! Here's a goal he scored in Liiga on a 5-on-3:

Here's another Ovi-type goal from the World Championships. This is what he does. Try and stop it.

But it's not just the skills that have people drooling over Laine- it's his production. He scored 17 goals and 16 assists in 46 regular season Liiga games, then added 10 goals and 5 assists in 18 playoff games.

He shone against his peer group at the World Junior Championships, tying Matthews for the tournament lead with 7 goals, and his 13 points were 3rd in the tournament. This includes a great performance in the Gold Medal game, where he registered a goal and assist to defeat Russia.

But most impressively, he's proving himself in the World Championships, an international tournament that includes several NHL players. So far, he has 6 goals and 4 assists in the tournament. It's impossible to understate just how insane this is. The record for an Under-18 player in this tournament is 6 points, and that was set in the 1930s. Laine has 10. And this tournament isn't even over yet.

The one "drawback" to Laine is his skating. It's fine, but not game-breaking speed like Matthews has. Instead, Laine will have to rely more on his puck protection and hockey IQ to beat defenders.

But there can be no doubt about this: Laine is ready to be in the NHL next season. God help us all.

But this isn't mean to be. This is the Jets' pick to make, and no amount of convoluted internet GM-ing will deliver this pick to the Minnesota Wild. That fantasy will be strictly confined to the comment section and NHL 17.