Prospect Info: [2022 - 1st OA] Juraj Slafkovsky (LW) Part 2

[FF de Mars]

Zubrus actually looked an awful lot like Slafkovsky on the ice as he had slick hands and used his reach/leverage to his advatage. Slafkovsky seems to be more outgoing and gregarious which may result in more confidence to make things happen and push his talent to it's limits. Zubrus could fall into more of a conservative approach which limited his success.

Comparisons are mostly a fool's errand but when pushed to do so Zubrus was a player that quickly came to mind as a potential floor level projection for Slafkovsky.

I watched him play, I was really excited when they traded Zednik for him, he looked promising. I think he was drafted 11OV and was a center moved to the wing. But I don't think they're in the same mold. Zubrus was smaller and faster and couldn't finish, he went the same path as Eller but he was faster and less meaty than the latter.

 

[themilosh]

Every time i ser that resent Slaf workout video i think of Ivan Drago with the likeability of Rocky.
Can someone dub the rocky4 music over it to the training montage?

 

[Estimated_Prophet]

I watched him play, I was really excited when they traded Zednik for him, he looked promising. I think he was drafted 11OV and was a center moved to the wing. But I don't think they're in the same mold. Zubrus was smaller and faster and couldn't finish, he went the same path as Eller but he was faster and less meaty than the latter.

Zubrus was bigger than Slafkovsky at 6'5" and close to 230 lbs and shared a similar skating style. I think the difference between the two will be between the ears.

 

[OldCraig71]

This thread is all over the map with Slaf comparables.

Can’t wait for camp to start so we start shaking off some of these labels.

"Yoelle" Armia had a similar scouting prediction and look at the tough/talented guy he turned out to be lol.

Zubrus was bigger than Slafkovsky at 6'5" and close to 230 lbs and shared a similar skating style. I think the difference between the two will be between the ears.

NHL competition will give us an indication of what he is.

 

[Kennerback]

"Yoelle" Armia had a similar scouting prediction and look at the tough/talented guy he turned out to be lol.


NHL competition will give us an indication of what he is.

Armia had all these write ups about “maybe the best shot/release in the draft”, “maybe the most pure goalscorer”, “the best finisher”… Despite being “raw”, “might end up the best player in the draft”. He even had the big Liiga numbers. Scouting is not a perfect science.

 

[Jack Skellington]

Armia had all these write ups about “maybe the best shot/release in the draft”, “maybe the most pure goalscorer”, “the best finisher”… Despite being “raw”, “might end up the best player in the draft”. He even had the big Liiga numbers. Scouting is not a perfect science.

Armia doesn’t have the decision making or game processing to ever be more than a decent third liner. It’s one thing that’s very difficult to judge when a player is playing in a league like Liiga because guys can get by on their skills and physical attributes. You usually only know whether or not they think the game at a high enough level when they are actually tested in the NHL. In my opinion it’s the biggest factor in amateur scouting and the reason why there is a select few elite scouts at any given time, and also why the draft is usually considered a crapshoot. The book is still out if Slafkovsky is going to be the same or not but his play in the WC and Olympics is a really good sign that he’ll be ok. We’ll see.

 

[Guess]

Slafkovsky himself said he needs big minutes to thrive. If he's not in a top 6 winger spot in the NHL he needs to be sent down.

 

[BaseballCoach]

Slafkovsky himself said he needs big minutes to thrive. If he's not in a top 6 winger spot in the NHL he needs to be sent down.

Great, so he is going to play in Laval forever.

By the way, Guy Lafleur started on the 3rd line. I guess he should have been sent down to the minors to gain confidence, and only get called up to the NHL if there were injuries so he could be in the top 6 by default.

 

[Treb]

Great, so he is going to play in Laval forever.

By the way, Guy Lafleur started on the 3rd line. I guess he should have been sent down to the minors to gain confidence, and only get dalled up to the NHL if there were injuries so he culd be in the top 6 by default.

Or he plays in Laval for 0.5-1 year and then comes in more ready for an offensive role with PP time.

 

[WeThreeKings]

Great, so he is going to play in Laval forever.

By the way, Guy Lafleur started on the 3rd line. I guess he should have been sent down to the minors to gain confidence, and only get dalled up to the NHL if there were injuries so he culd be in the top 6 by default.

I mean, maybe? It did take Lafleur 3 seasons to really break through.

 

[Sherwoo9]

Having too much bodies for NHL wings combined to a really hard market right now is a reason for Slaf in the A but the main reason to me is that it won’t hurt him in any way. Gives the time to properly evaluate what we have and as soon as HuGo finds a way to make some room he can be called up if he showed he is clearly ready. What is wrong with him working on offensive tools at a 0.75 PPG pace in the AHL until Christmas rather than let’s say gathering 20 pts at the NHL level in the pressure cooker that is MTL.

 

[BaseballCoach]

I mean, maybe? It did take Lafleur 3 seasons to really break through.

Three seasons of playing againt the best and figuring it out. Not three seasons sharing ice with Pezzetta, Schueneman and weaker players than that.

My point is that it is very unrealistic to expect a rookie to be in the top 6 when he starts, and whether or not he played in the AHL first makes zero difference. The AHL is for guys who can't start in the top 7-12.

 

[BaseballCoach]

Or he plays in Laval for 0.5-1 year and then comes in more ready for an offensive role with PP time.

Who says he won't have an offensive role unless he is in the top 6? Top 6 players get stronger opposition and sometimes have to defend more, not less.

If the idea of playing a rookie on the 5th or 6th line is good, what is wrong with him playing on the 3rd or 4th line if he can handle it? A guy will learn much more playing 12 -13 minutes in the NHL, with some PP time, practicing under Martin St. Louis, learning from the vets including young vets like Suzuki, than looking for Lukas Vejdemo to be his mentor and JF Houle to teach him how to produce by stickhandling around Corey Schueneman or Josh Brook.

 

[Estimated_Prophet]

With all due respect that is a lofty prediction. EL was one of the best big men ever to play the game. I think that it would be wise to temper your expectations.

Zero chance he is ever as good as Lindros

 

[WinterLion]

Great, so he is going to play in Laval forever.

By the way, Guy Lafleur started on the 3rd line. I guess he should have been sent down to the minors to gain confidence, and only get called up to the NHL if there were injuries so he could be in the top 6 by default.

Somehow I don't see Slaf lacking confidence...

I don't get all the AHL talk. He will be in the NHL and if he can't crack it, maybe Liiga. I don't think the AHL is a great spot for him.

 

[OldCraig71]

Zero chance he is ever as good as Lindros

They started talking about Lindros when he was 15 and he could have played in the NHL at 16-17 if rules permitted it. I don't know how there could be a comparison between the two, the size thing yes but that's where it stops for me.

 

[DramaticGloveSave]

Lindros was also a Center man. The archetype for Slaf is Jagr, or a Draisatl.

He’s a unique player. I’m just not so sure he’s the type to ever put up elite production. Hope I’m wrong.

 

[OldCraig71]

Armia had all these write ups about “maybe the best shot/release in the draft”, “maybe the most pure goalscorer”, “the best finisher”… Despite being “raw”, “might end up the best player in the draft”. He even had the big Liiga numbers. Scouting is not a perfect science.

There is plenty of luck involved, just look at redrafts as an example.

 

[Treb]

Who says he won't have an offensive role unless he is in the top 6? Top 6 players get stronger opposition and sometimes have to defend more, not less.

If the idea of playing a rookie on the 5th or 6th line is good, what is wrong with him playing on the 3rd or 4th line if he can handle it? A guy will learn much more playing 12 -13 minutes in the NHL, with some PP time, practicing under Martin St. Louis, learning from the vets including young vets like Suzuki, than looking for Lukas Vejdemo to be his mentor and JF Houle to teach him how to produce by stickhandling around Corey Schueneman or Josh Brook.

So he's not good enough for the top6, but good enough for PP time? Why is JF Houle so horrible compared to MSL?

Funny you're mentioning two players not with the Habs organization and another one that will most likely be in the NHL.

In Laval, he would play 20 minutes a night on the 1st line and 1st PP unit.

That is better for him to start in NA than playing 10 minutes on the fourth line with Evans and Pezzetta or Armia.

 

[Estimated_Prophet]

They started talking about Lindros when he was 15 and he could have played in the NHL at 16-17 if rules permitted it. I don't know how there could be a comparison between the two, the size thing yes but that's where it stops for me.

He was a generational talent whose career was derailed by concussions. The Legion of Doom line was easily the greatest combination of skill, speed, and physicality that has ever played in the NHL. I remember him in the Canada Cup as freshly drafted 18 year old absolutely decimating opposing dmen. He had NHL all star calibre defenders who were shitting their pants when he was on the ice against them. My father and I were nearly in tears laughing as this manchild and human wrecking ball was unleashed against grown men who were frantically coughing up pucks and aborting puck battles. The kid beat out Steve Yzerman ffs for a roster spot without having played a single NHL game.

So yeah......any comparison to Lindros in regards to Slafkovsky's ceiling is certifiably insane.

 

[Andrei79]

Lindros was also a Center man. The archetype for Slaf is Jagr, or a Draisatl.

He’s a unique player. I’m just not so sure he’s the type to ever put up elite production. Hope I’m wrong.

I don't either. He's skilled, but watching Draisaitls videos from his video, he was more skilled. Not as good a skater, but the rest of the package was high end.

Don't know if this has been discussed in previous threads and I don't mean this to bash Slafkovsky but:

Given what was mentioned in the draft special the Canadiens did on YouTube and how they took into account how rare a player of his size is and the lack of player of his profile in upcoming drafts, would have management still picked Slaf if the Canadiens had selected Brady Tkachuk back in 2018?

I think so. I think they'd have been thrilled with the idea of having both Tkachuk and Slaf as LWs for in their top 6.

 

[SlafySZN]

So he's not good enough for the top6, but good enough for PP time? Why is JF Houle so horrible compared to MSL?

Funny you're mentioning two players not with the Habs organization and another one that will most likely be in the NHL.

In Laval, he would play 20 minutes a night on the 1st line and 1st PP unit.

That is better for him to start in NA than playing 10 minutes on the fourth line with Evans and Pezzetta or Armia.

It won’t happen though, MSL knows how to place the young players in better situations.

 

[Tetragrammaton]

Il a le gabarit et le tir mais à t'il la vision, la vitesse et l'endurance pour être productif une saison complète ? Telle est la question.

He has everything, but maybe he should spend a season in Laval, what’s the rush.

 

[ReHabs]

Armia doesn’t have the decision making or game processing to ever be more than a decent third liner. It’s one thing that’s very difficult to judge when a player is playing in a league like Liiga because guys can get by on their skills and physical attributes. You usually only know whether or not they think the game at a high enough level when they are actually tested in the NHL. In my opinion it’s the biggest factor in amateur scouting and the reason why there is a select few elite scouts at any given time, and also why the draft is usually considered a crapshoot. The book is still out if Slafkovsky is going to be the same or not but his play in the WC and Olympics is a really good sign that he’ll be ok. We’ll see.

Curiously, Slaf couldn’t get by on neither his skills nor his physical attributes in Liiga or the Liiga playoffs. This is a major red flag all the Sundin/Lindros/Jagr comparisons miss.

The biggest question mark is his vision and playmaking ability. If he has hockey IQ to overcome NHL defences and defenders.

 

[Kennerback]

Curiously, Slaf couldn’t get by on neither his skills nor his physical attributes in Liiga or the Liiga playoffs.

Your expectations are low enough that you’ll be earnestly surprised at camp.