Soon after he was drafted in the 3rd round of the 2018 NHL Entry Draft, Lauko was asked what his biggest strength was.
"The speed," said Lauko without hesitation. "My speed is my biggest strength. I think I'm one of the fastest players in this draft."
His bold claim of being one of the fast skaters appears to be holding up. And with that speed, Lauko has one thing on his mind.
"I'm trying to use it to break away and in one-on-one," said Lauko. "It's my biggest strength so why not use it."
Lauko, who compared himself to Detroit Red Wing's known speedster Dylan Larkin, has had his opportunities on breakaways. When he has had the chance, he's buried them in impressive fashion.
On the second day of development camp, Lauko blazed past a defender and found himself in all alone on the goaltender. Instead of hurrying a shot, the 6-foot winger calmly faked forehand before stretching his stick the opposite direction, tucking the puck in the net with only one hand on his stick.
When Bruins GM Don Sweeney was asked about Lauko, he also noted his outstanding speed.
"Clearly, his straight away speed and ability to get behind defenseman through the neutral zone," said Sweeney when asked what has impressed him about Lauko's game. "He gets on top of pucks, he showed finish today which he's showed at the levels he's played at."
When the group at development camp split into two teams for a game on Day 4, Lauko had another breakaway opportunity. He didn't waste it.
Lauko's elite speed was again the difference-maker as he gathered the puck at his own blue line and raced passed everyone for a breakaway. He coolly brought the puck to his forehand and roofed it.
The defense may have seen it coming, but there was no stopping Lauko on his breakaways.
