Juraj Slafkovsky is Already Earning Huge Accomplishments
To the surprise of some, the Montreal Canadiens took to the podium at the NHL Draft in July and opted for 6'3» Slovakian left wing, Juraj Slafkovsky from TPS Turku, in the Finnish Liiga, over the likes of the two centres on the board (Cooley and Wright), and a potential future number one righthanded defenceman (Simon Nemec).
«The talk we had I think it tasted better than dinner,» said Slafkovsky, in response to a question about if he had a dinner with the Habs.
Recently at the Slovakian sports awards, the native of Kosice, Slovakia., was honoured with three significant Slovakian hockey awards.
Perhaps fellow Canadiens prospect, and Slovakian World Junior team captain Jan Mysak was on to something when he left a bold comment in an interview.
«I played whole year against Shane Wright, so for me personally, if I would be GM I would take Slafkovsky too,» said Mysak regarding the Habs selection. «For me, I see Juraj Slafkovsky as a really strong player,» he said.
The following are the three awards Slafkovsky received:
- Slovakian player-of-the-year - Awarded to the player
- Best U20 Slovak hockey player -
- Top hockey forward -
Slafkovsky exploded on the international stage as a 17-year-old at the U-18's tournament , and followed up his performance at the Olympics, scoring seven goals in seven games, earning Olympic hockey tournament MVP, then he went on to the World Hockey Championships - scoring three goals, six assists for nine points through eight games. Slafkovsky's final showing before the draft was during the international tournament, scoring seven goals, one assists for eight points through 10 games.
| POLL | ||
Who'll have the better first rookie season? | ||
| Shane Wright | 54 | 32.1 % |
| Juraj Slafkovsky | 114 | 67.9 % |
| List of polls | ||
