The following year, he was selected to the Finnish national junior team at the 1977 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships in Czechoslovakia. Laine had an excellent performance, posting nine points (5+4) in seven games and earning the second-most points on the team, bested only by the 11 points tallied by Juha Jyrkkiö. Despite quality scoring, the Finns were plagued by poor goaltending and finished the tournament in fourth place.