Juraj Slafkovský
Juraj Slafkovský | |||
---|---|---|---|
Born |
Košice, Slovakia | 30 March 2004||
Height | 6 ft 3 in (191 cm) | ||
Weight | 230 lb (104 kg; 16 st 6 lb) | ||
Position | Left wing | ||
Shoots | Left | ||
NHL team Former teams |
Montreal Canadiens TPS | ||
National team | Slovakia | ||
NHL draft |
1st overall, 2022 Montreal Canadiens | ||
Playing career | 2021–present |
Juraj Slafkovský (born 30 March 2004) is a Slovak professional
Slafkovský first rose to prominence as a member of the Slovak national team at the 2022 Winter Olympics, where he played a pivotal role in Slovakia's first-ever Olympic medal in ice hockey. Leading the tournament in scoring, he was named its most valuable player.[2] He was identified as part of a new generation of promising Slovak hockey players.[3][4][5]
Playing career
Liiga
Slafkovský first left home at the age of 14 to train at Red Bull's ice hockey academy in Austria. After months spent there and in the Czech Republic competing against older teenagers, he moved to Finland's HC TPS, seeking a higher class of competition. Slafkovský played three seasons with TPS's team in the Finnish junior league, before making his debut in the Liiga for the 2021–22 season. His debut in the senior men's ranks was initially inauspicious, recording only one goal in his first 20 games. After returning from his star turn at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Slafkovský's play improved noticeably, and he finished the regular season with five goals and five assists. He went on to record two goals and five assists in 18 playoff games.[6] TPS advanced to the Finals, but lost to Tappara in five games.[4]
National Hockey League
2022 NHL Entry Draft
Slafkovský was eligible for the
On 7 July 2022, the Canadiens used the first overall pick to select Slafkovský. He became the highest-drafted Slovak player in the history of the NHL, surpassing
Montreal Canadiens (2022–present)
Upon arrival in Montreal he found that his preferred no. 20
Slafkovský's production improved in his second season, though points came slowly to begin the season. Despite the early lack of offensive results, he played a defensively responsible game throughout the first half of the season, impressing head coach Martin St. Louis; this play was rewarded with a promotion to the Canadiens' first line in December. Playing alongside Cole Caufield and Canadiens captain Nick Suzuki, Slafkovský "took off" over the remainder of the season, eventually scoring his first hat trick against the Philadelphia Flyers on 10 April 2024, a 9–3 victory for the Canadiens.[21]
International play
Medal record | ||
---|---|---|
Representing Slovakia | ||
Ice hockey | ||
Olympic Games | ||
2022 Beijing | ||
Hlinka Gretzky Cup | ||
2021 Czech Republic/Slovakia |
Debuting on the international scene in 2021, Slafkovský competed as part of Slovakia national team on both the under-20 and senior rosters, appearing at the 2021 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships and the 2021 IIHF World Championship.[22] He then joined the under-18 team at the 2021 Hlinka Gretzky Cup, winning a silver medal.[23]
Slafkovský was one of two 17-year-olds included on Slovakia national team for the 2022 Winter Olympics tournament, alongside Šimon Nemec, with Slafkovský being the youngest player in the tournament. He scored both of Slovakia's goals in the opening game against Finland, a 6–2 loss, becoming the first 17-year-old to score in men's Olympic ice hockey since Eddie Olczyk in 1984.[24][25] Slafkovský finished the tournament as its top scorer with seven goals in seven games, leading Slovakia to a bronze medal, their first-ever Olympic medal in ice hockey.[26] He was voted most valuable player of the tournament.[2] He was later named to the national team for the 2022 IIHF World Championship, recording three goals and six assists in nine games. His performance at the World Championship was later said to have further enhanced his profile ahead of the NHL draft.[27] In recognition of his international performances in 2022, the Slovak Ice Hockey Federation gave Slafkovský its Player of the Year award, as well as the honours as Best Forward and Best U20 Player. He was the youngest recipient of Slovakia's Player of the Year award.[28]
Personal life
He is a second cousin of the canoeist Alexander Slafkovský.[29]
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
Regular season
|
Playoffs | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
2019–20 | TPS | Jr. A
|
4 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
2020–21 | TPS | Jr. A | 16 | 8 | 5 | 13 | 10 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
2021–22 | TPS | Jr. A | 11 | 6 | 12 | 18 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
2021–22 | TPS | Liiga | 31 | 5 | 5 | 10 | 33 | 18 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 8 | ||
2022–23 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 39 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 33 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
2023–24 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 82 | 20 | 30 | 50 | 55 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
Liiga totals | 31 | 5 | 5 | 10 | 33 | 18 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 8 | ||||
NHL totals | 121 | 24 | 36 | 60 | 88 | — | — | — | — | — |
International
Year | Team | Event | Result | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2021 | Slovakia | WJC | 8th | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |
2021 | Slovakia | WC | 8th | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |
2021 | Slovakia | HG18 | 5 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 8 | ||
2022 | Slovakia | OG | 7 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 0 | ||
2022 | Slovakia | WC | 8th | 8 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 2 | |
Junior totals | 10 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 10 | ||||
Senior totals | 21 | 10 | 6 | 16 | 4 |
Awards and honours
Award | Year | |
---|---|---|
International | ||
Olympic All-Star Team | 2022 | |
Olympic MVP | 2022 | [2] |
National | ||
Best Forward | 2022 | [28] |
Best U20 Player | 2022 | [28] |
Player of the Year | 2022 | [28] |
References
- ^ Forbes. Retrieved 8 July 2022.
- ^ a b c "IIHF - Slafkovsky voted MVP". IIHF International Ice Hockey Federation. Retrieved 20 February 2022.
- ^ Whyno, Stephen (8 July 2022). "Slafkovsky, Nemec lead new Slovak ice hockey golden generation". The Washington Post. Retrieved 17 July 2022.
- ^ a b Dixon, Ryan (29 June 2022). "Built to play hockey". Sportsnet. Retrieved 5 July 2022.
- ^ Powers, Scott (8 July 2022). "NHL Draft provides Slovakian hockey with historic moment". The Athletic. Retrieved 11 July 2022.
- ^ Powers, Scott (30 June 2022). "No. 1 NHL Draft pick Juraj Slafkovsky always welcomes high expectations". The Athletic. Retrieved 8 July 2022.
- ^ "Bob McKenzie's Mid-Season Draft Rankings". TSN. 20 January 2022. Retrieved 5 July 2022.
- ^ Pronman, Corey (5 July 2022). "2022 NHL Draft prospects: Juraj Slafkovsky leads Corey Pronman's final ranking". The Athletic. Retrieved 5 July 2022.
- ^ Wheeler, Scott (6 June 2022). "NHL Draft 2022 top 100 prospects: Scott Wheeler's final rankings". The Athletic. Retrieved 5 July 2022.
- ^ "Bob McKenzie's Final 2022 Draft Ranking". TSN. 28 June 2022. Retrieved 5 July 2022.
- ^ Engels, Eric (5 July 2022). "Canadiens 2022 NHL Draft Preview: Foundation for Hughes' plan can be set this week". Sportsnet. Retrieved 5 July 2022.
- Montreal Gazette. 13 July 2022. Retrieved 13 July 2022.
- Montreal Gazette. Retrieved 28 July 2022.
- ^ Engels, Eric (12 October 2022). "Canadiens begin season focused on taking meaningful steps in developing young roster". Sportsnet. Retrieved 13 October 2022.
- ^ "Slafkovsky, Guhle, Xhekaj make Canadiens roster to open season". Sportsnet. 10 October 2022. Retrieved 11 October 2022.
- ^ Engels, Eric (13 October 2022). "Guhle leads Canadiens' young players in season-opening win over Maple Leafs". Sportsnet. Retrieved 13 October 2022.
- Montreal Gazette. Retrieved 20 October 2022.
- Montreal Gazette. Retrieved 30 October 2022.
- ^ "Canadiens rookie Slafkovsky barred 2 games for boarding recent Red Wings call-up". CBC Sports. 9 November 2022. Retrieved 10 November 2022.
- ^ "Canadiens' Juraj Slafkovský out 3 months with lower-body injury: How this affects his growth". The Athletic. 18 January 2023. Retrieved 19 January 2023.
- ^ Associated Press (10 April 2024). "Juraj Slafkovsky nets hat trick, Canadiens hand Flyers eighth straight loss in 9-3 blowout". ESPN. Retrieved 10 April 2024.
- ^ "MS 2021: SR do Rigy s historicky najmladším tímom, nedostali sa doň Koch, Regenda a Hrehorčák". Hockey Slovakia (in Slovak). 15 May 2021.
- The Bleacher Report. Retrieved 8 July 2022.
- ^ "Juraj Slafkovsky, 17, impresses in Olympic debut despite Slovakia's loss to Finland". www.nbcolympics.com. Retrieved 11 February 2022.
- IIHF [@IIHFHockey] (10 February 2022). "Juraj Slafkovsky just set the bar really high. #Beijing2022 @HockeySlovakia https://t.co/JIMFD6pPGT" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 11 February 2022. Retrieved 14 February 2022 – via Twitter.
- ^ "IIHF - Slovakia wins first ever Olympic medal". IIHF International Ice Hockey Federation. Retrieved 19 February 2022.
- ^ Godin, Marc-Antoine (30 May 2022). "Juraj Slafkovsky's unique skill set could make him a potential first pick for the Canadiens". The Athletic. Retrieved 8 July 2022.
- ^ a b c d Vickers, Aaron (11 August 2022). "Slafkovsky named Hockey Slovakia Player of the Year". NHL Entry Draft. Retrieved 12 August 2022.
- ^ "Ľudia nás vidia nastajlovaných, bolesť zostáva skrytá. Jurajovi držím palce". Športweb.sk (in Slovak). 1 August 2022. Retrieved 2 July 2023.
External links
- Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or Eurohockey.com, or The Internet Hockey Database