Friday Habs Headlines: Juraj Slafkovsky named Slovak Player of the Year
Juraj Slafkovsky, second from correct, poses for photos with Montreal Canadiens possessor Geoff Molson, left, after being selected as the top pick in the first circular of the NHL draft by the Canadiens in Montreal on. AP photograph
MONTREAL — Juraj Slafkovsky waited and wondered if the Montreal Canadiens would take him with the beginning pick in the NHL draft.
When the moment came, he didn't fifty-fifty hear general manager Kent Hughes call his name. Stupor overwhelmed the big, charismatic winger as before long every bit he heard Hughes say, "From the Slovakian national team.
"I didn't fifty-fifty mind anymore," he said. "I was similar shaking and I had goosebumps."
Months after leading Slovakia to an Olympic bronze medal and beingness named tournament MVP, Slafkovsky made more history by becoming the kickoff player from the country to be taken No. 1. Minutes later, countryman and Beijing Games teammate Simon Nemec went second to the New Jersey Devils.
Slafkovsky and Nemec became the highest-drafted players from Slovakia, 22 years after Marian Gaborik went third to Minnesota in 2000.
"I lost the words," Nemec said. "Nosotros were kids when we dream nigh NHL typhoon."
Nemec was all smiles later on when he and Slafkovsky embraced Filip Mesar, the third Slovak taken in the commencement round, also by Montreal at No. 27. It's the first time Slovakia has had iii players taken in the offset round, which also matched a record with xvi prospects born outside of North America being selected.
The crowd at Bell Centre was fired upwardly for the league's first in-person draft since 2019, booing Commissioner Gary Bettman each time he stepped up to the microphone — until he said he had a merchandise to denote. At that place were some oohs and ahhs when Shane Wright, long projected to be the top choice in this typhoon fifty-fifty before the Canadiens won the draft lottery, was non taken in the top three.
The Arizona Coyotes fabricated forrard Logan Cooley the highest-drafted role player from Pittsburgh when they took him third. Wright'due south autumn, reminiscent of Seth Jones in 2013 — the concluding draft with this level of doubt about the peak pick — ended when the Seattle Kraken took him fourth.
Wright said he'd have a scrap on his shoulder and play with "a trivial more than burn down" later getting passed over by 3 teams at the meridian of the typhoon.
The Canadiens kept everyone guessing in saying they were because Slafkovsky, Wright and Cooley before the draft. And after answering that question by choosing the 6-pes-4 winger, Montreal made some other splash by completing a trade.
The Canadiens traded defenseman Alexander Romanov to the New York Islanders for the 13th pick and moved that selection and the 66th to the Chicago Blackhawks for young forrard Kirby Dach.
It was the second dismantling motion fabricated Thursday by the Blackhawks, who also traded high-scoring winger Alex DeBrincat to the Ottawa Senators for three picks.
Slafkovsky, who has drawn comparisons to late Hockey Hall of Famer Clark Gillies and plays a bit like a young Jaromir Jagr, said he told the Canadiens on Thursday forenoon to take him. Confident as that sounded, Slafkovsky acknowledged he didn't expect information technology to actually happen.
"Information technology was a actually big surprise for me," Slafkovsky said. "Nosotros had meetings but nosotros don't become to know almost annihilation from that meeting. I withal could just guess when I was waiting for this. Only at present information technology'southward reality."
Slafkovsky, who turned 18 in March, is among the most NHL-fix players in the draft later on playing against grown men in Republic of finland this past season and impressing at the Olympics with seven goals in 7 games. The youngest role player in the tournament was the biggest reason Slovakia won an Olympic statuary medal for the offset time.
Chuck Fletcher, whose Philadelphia Flyers picked forward Cutter Gauthier fifth, said Wednesday he expected a lot of trades at the draft. Other GMs effectually the league didn't want for the draft to begin to start dealing.
The Stanley Loving cup champion Colorado Avalanche got things started past acquiring goaltender Alexandar Georgiev from the New York Rangers for a third- and a fifth-circular option in this draft and a third-rounder next year. And so Chicago sent DeBrincat to Ottawa for the 7th and 39th picks and a 3rd-rounder in 2024.
Bettman opened the draft in French by saying, "Bon soir, Montreal." When fans booed him equally is tradition, he said: "Thank you for that welcome. It is a return to normalcy."
It'due south also the starting time fourth dimension the host team picked commencement since the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1985 when they got Wendell Clark. The Leafs got the loudest boos during curlicue call, with some in the crowd chanting, "'67!" in reference to the terminal yr Toronto won the Stanley Cup.
Recent deaths in hockey were also recognized earlier the Canadiens went on the clock. Bettman asked those on the draft floor and in the stands to concur a moment of silence for retired defenseman Bryan Marchment, who died at age 53 Wednesday in Montreal where he was attention the typhoon every bit a scout for the San Jose Sharks.
Children of belatedly Hall of Famers Guy Lafleur and Mike Snobby as well addressed the oversupply, along with Canadiens coach Martin St. Louis, who was serenaded past chants of "Ole! Ole! Ole!" Famously undrafted earlier having a Hall of Fame career, St. Louis joked: "It took me 45 years to finally exist at my first typhoon. It was worth the await."
The opposite pressure at present belongs to Slafkovsky, who could soon play aslope superlative Montreal frontwards Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield. That could exist the programme for Hughes and St. Louis, who did their homework on Slafkovsky before picking him.
"They knew me pretty well," he said. "They knew near everything, how I play, what I practice where on the ice, then I think information technology's a really practiced organization and the important affair is they know what they desire and I know what I want. It'south only expert for me that they picked me."
Rounds two-seven are Friday.
Source: https://www.post-journal.com/sports/local-sports/2022/07/canadiens-pick-slovakian-winger-juraj-slafkovsky-at-no-1-overall/
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