Two days into the 2019 World Championships, Finland teen sensation Kaapo Kakko had amassed five goals, pushing NHL draft prospect Jack Hughes to the back burner. With the tourney barely 48 hours old, Kakko’s resume now included a hat trick against host nation Slovakia, and two highlight-reel-worthy goals in a victory over Canada.

In January, Kakko snuffed out Hughes and his USA teammates in the World Junior gold-medal game. All this led to NHL draft insiders having second thoughts about who should go first overall Friday in Vancouver: the splashy but undersized Hughes or man-child Kakko, who has already thrived for two seasons in Finland’s senior league for TPS Turku. 

To get the best read on the Nordic game-breaker, rather than compare Kakko to Hughes, we enlisted a pair of Finnish hockey lifers to compare Kakko’s skill sets to his countryman Patrik Laine. Laine and USA’s Auston Matthews were part of the dramatic 2016 NHL draft, which played out identically to how many predict the 2019 draft will unfold: a high-scoring Finn playing bridesmaid to an American wunderkind.

Immediately after being selected by the Winnipeg Jets, Laine became an NHL scoring machine, pounding in an astounding 110 goals over his first three seasons. Our two Finnish hockey insiders had no problem dissecting their two countrymen, starting with their ability to get around the rink.

Kakko vs. Laine: SKATING

“At top, full speed, maybe Laine can beat Kaapo with his longer strides,” Kakko’s TPS coach Kalle Kaskinen, who is almost a second father to Kakko, said. “But overall game speed, I’d say Kakko is quicker; acceleration, tight turns, playing one-on-one, I think he’s ahead of Laine. He’s a versatile skater.”

Our second source is a Finnish-born scout who spends half his time in North America. He is so deeply imbedded in hockey’s business side that he would only share his insights under the condition of anonymity. Our Finnish Deep Throat thinks the two scoring stars are horses of a different color. “They are totally different players,” our man under cover said. “Kakko is the better hockey player, I think. Laine’s strength is his balls, and his shot of course. That’s why he’s doing well.”

Kakko vs. Laine: SHOT

Laine’s shot is the force that has produced most of his 110 NHL goals. Kaskinen, however, does not automatically concede the shooting edge to Laine. “Laine’s got the wrister and the slap shot one-timer,” Kaskinen said, “but Kaapo is a quick shooter. He can shoot from the top of the circle with a wrister and he can score.” 

Kakko plays with a much shorter stick than Laine, the Winnipeg winger who’s known for his blistering slap shots from the strongside boards and power-play one-timers across his body. Laine propels the puck using deadly torque from his extra-long stick, while Kakko uses a smaller than average wand. He likes to possess the puck close to his body, playing keep-away from the defense during extended touches, holding on until he can find an offensive seam. “He should be shooting more,” Kaskinen said, “because with the shorter stick he tries to beat those one-on-one’s maybe too often. Not as good as Laine, but maybe with the quickness, surprise shots, he can be at the same level. Maybe better in a way, beating goalies with that quick shot.”

Kakko vs. Laine: HOCKEY SENSE

“Kakko is built with more hockey IQ,” said Helsinki’s Deep Throat, who spoke about Kakko thriving when his team gets into a “flow.” Kaskinen is more specific when he speaks about his prodigy. “He can put those blind passes in tight seams that we can’t even see from the stands. His hockey IQ is great, getting open, getting his stick open without the puck, he’s already there.” 

On the other side of the puck, Kaskinen mentioned how Kakko is still learning how to play defensively. “He can be better, but it’s coming. I’m not worried.” The coach’s belief in Kakko is based on observing the teen’s work habits on a daily basis. “The first guy on the ice, the last guy coming off. He’s doing everything to be the best.”

Kakko vs. Laine: INTANGIBLES

Our Helsinki agent rips into Laine, saying he is a Free Solo climber in a game that requires everyone pulling the same rope. “He doesn’t have any friends in my mind; he really doesn’t give a s*** about the rest of the world.”

Kakko is the exact opposite, according to TPS coach Kaskinen. “He’s a normal kid, having his friends, having fun, and working hard. He is a close friend of my son [TPS teammate Olli] and my nephews.”

While Kakko reportedly struggles with English, Laine has already established a solid rapport with Winnipeg’s NHL beat writers and broadcasters, including play-by-play man Dennis Beyak. “He’s easy to deal with, and very honest,” Beyak said. “He’s never dodged the media; if he’s struggling, he says so.”

Deep Throat thinks media relations might be Kakko’s Achilles Heel, especially if he ends up in America’s biggest metropolis. “New York, it’s not a friendly environment if you don’t speak good English,” our source, who knows the score on both sides of the Atlantic, said. “There are so many reporters who just want to make a story, they’re gonna use your words in any way they can.”

IIHF reporter Olga Khmylev said she never got a chance to speak with Kakko at the Worlds. “Their media guy said he was uncomfortable doing interviews in English,” Khmylev said. 

“He’s not an extrovert with a stranger,” said Kaskinen, who doesn’t foresee a language problem between Kakko and the media. “At the World Championships, he already made interviews in English, without the help of the media guy from Team Finland any more. He’s really open with his friends.” Kaskinen made a point of placing Kakko between TPS teammates Zach Budish (Minnesota) and Joe Piskula (Wisconsin) during all team functions. “He will learn,” Kaskinen said.

The final issue with Finland’s premier prospect is a delicate one: Kaapo Kakko is a diabetic. Unlike his peers at this year’s NHL draft, Kakko’s daily routine includes self-injections of insulin. “It’s a reality, and you have to take care of it,” Keskinen said. “It was open and in the Finnish media after the World Championships. It hasn’t been an issue for anybody here anymore.”

In a twist of fate, head coach David Quinn of the New York Rangers, Kakko’s likely new coach, was an elite prospect with his own major medical issue during his draft year in 1984. Quinn suffered from a blood disorder related to hemophilia, one that eventually ended his playing career. He might be the perfect mentor for a young star trying to overcome extraordinary trials, mandatory dues for playing in the NHL’s biggest market.  

Regardless of Kakko’s medical and language issues, both of our Finnish hockey insiders chose Kakko over Laine, a remarkable statement in light of Laine’s prodigious NHL production. For those who like to view the NHL draft as a horse race, that’s a smoking hot tip on the thoroughbred making his push along the outside.