Prospect Info: 2022 - 1st OA] Juraj Slafkovsky (LW) Part 4

[Lafleurs Guy]

This kid is going to bust because he doesn't know how to protect himself. He'll have 50 concussions at this rate. Can't believe how bad he is at keeping his head up.

I don’t want to hit the “like” button but I agree with you.

Again, maybe the minors would be a better place to develop. I’m worried about him getting absolutely smoked.

 

[Estimated_Prophet]

This is not so much a "keep your head up" incident as it is just more of the same obvious concerns before he was drafted about hockey IQ and tunnel vision. He doesn't map the ice at all and follows a singular thought on each play, it is abundantly evident in the terrible turnovers, poor positioning without the puck and getting crushed when he has the puck.

As a huge kid playing in much softer Euro leagues he is just not accustomed to being hit like this and there is certainly a strong case to explore other alternatives to the NHL if this continues.

His skill level has always been obvious to see and his worrisome lack of understanding of the game has been just as obvious. He is only 18 and I believe that he has as good a development team around him as anywhere in the world so hopefully they can help him to identify threats earlier before something terrible happens.

 

[Belial]

This is not so much a "keep your head up" incident as it is just more of the same obvious concerns before he was drafted about hockey IQ and tunnel vision. He doesn't map the ice at all and follows a singular thought on each play, it is abundantly evident in the terrible turnovers, poor positioning without the puck and getting crushed when he has the puck.

As a huge kid playing in much softer Euro leagues he is just not accustomed to being hit like this and there is certainly a strong case to explore other alternatives to the NHL if this continues.

His skill level has always been obvious to see and his worrisome lack of understanding of the game has been just as obvious. He is only 18 and I believe that he has as good a development team around him as anywhere in the world so hopefully they can help him to identify threats earlier before something terrible happens.

Some good points but pretty harsh overall.

As you noticed, he was able to get away with the way he was playing in Finland without getting destroyed every second game.

He'll have to adapt to a new environment and change somewhat his style of play.

But his tools are just out of this world, if he could put it all together he's going to be a monster out there in a couple of years.

 

[Estimated_Prophet]

Some good points but pretty harsh overall.

As you noticed, he was able to get away with the way he was playing in Finland without getting destroyed every second game.

He'll have to adapt to a new environment and change somewhat his style of play.

But his tools are just out of this world, if he could put it all together he's going to be a monster out there in a couple of years.

I was very outspoken about his lack of awareness/hockey IQ last season as well and he didn't get crushed as much because he was playing on hybrid ice surfaces in a largely non physical league. His play without the puck was shockingly bad and while he has made some improvements he still has me shaking my head multiple times every game.

He does have some very good physical tools but he still has a long way to go mentally. I love the kids enthusiasm and the upside is obvious but he may need to be protected by being sent to an alternative league if this continues.

 

[Belial]

I was very outspoken about his lack of awareness/hockey IQ last season as well and he didn't get crushed as much because he was playing on hybrid ice surfaces in a largely non physical league. His play without the puck was shockingly bad and while he has made some improvements he still has me shaking my head multiple times every game.

He does have some very good physical tools but he still has a long way to go mentally. I love the kids enthusiasm and the upside is obvious but he may need to be protected by being sent to an alternative league if this continues.

He seems like a smart kid and ready to work so I think he'll be fine.

He just needs to get accustomed to the NHL speed.

Those hits from nowhere are coming way faster than in Liiga.

 

[ReHabs]

This is not so much a "keep your head up" incident as it is just more of the same obvious concerns before he was drafted about hockey IQ and tunnel vision. He doesn't map the ice at all and follows a singular thought on each play, it is abundantly evident in the terrible turnovers, poor positioning without the puck and getting crushed when he has the puck.

As a huge kid playing in much softer Euro leagues he is just not accustomed to being hit like this and there is certainly a strong case to explore other alternatives to the NHL if this continues.

His skill level has always been obvious to see and his worrisome lack of understanding of the game has been just as obvious. He is only 18 and I believe that he has as good a development team around him as anywhere in the world so hopefully they can help him to identify threats earlier before something terrible happens.

He's behind the play. In attack and in defense. It's hockey IQ, it's playmaking, it's vision -- whatever you want to call it. There is an element of adjusting to the speed of a new league so who knows how he'll look in 20 more games. But...

He was never too good for Liiga so it was foolish to think he was NHL ready. I was wrong for saying he should play more minutes because he's clearly incapable of doing it at the NHL level right now. Yes he's adapting and progressing (looking more confident) but the NHL (the pinnacle of the sport) is unforgiving and he's too far behind the play to improve on his hockey IQ and playmaking vision at this point. I don't know what I'd do if I was in MSL/HuGo's shoes right now... it's not a very encouraging situation right now. And I don't see how he can develop his higher-level playmaking at this rate.

 

[Heffyhoof]

Bust status reconfirmed.

 

[Egresch]

I was very outspoken about his lack of awareness/hockey IQ last season as well and he didn't get crushed as much because he was playing on hybrid ice surfaces in a largely non physical league. His play without the puck was shockingly bad and while he has made some improvements he still has me shaking my head multiple times every game.

He does have some very good physical tools but he still has a long way to go mentally. I love the kids enthusiasm and the upside is obvious but he may need to be protected by being sent to an alternative league if this continues.

Obviously, he is not as dumb as you describe him. Otherwise, he would not be playing in NHL at 18, playing better than most of Habs forwards. E.g. he is smarter than Anderson, but Anderson was raised to be 100% aware when on the ice.
His awareness is a big issue, I agree. All his career, he was the biggest kid and has never really been attacked. Now, he is attacked by best defenders 5 times per game. It might be just too much for him to adjust to small rink and speed in NHL. Nobody wants him to have a concussion in his rookie season at 18.
I guess they need to give him some kind of milestone. Watch out, next 10 games without any big hit. Otherwise, they should really consider sending him down to juniors.

 

[KevSkillz4]

Keep calm guys. Hits on him don't scare me at all, he is strong man. Yeah he need to keep his head up, but he is going to improve that with coaching staff. Don't worry guys, Suzuki too in his rookie season got hitting on him and looks now...

Keep calm and relax!

 

[HeartAttack]

Lol...this is pure gold...few pages back you were all drooling on how amazing he was last 2 games and then 1 bad hit and you are loosing your minds

His big body is reason why this "tough" unskilled guys are proving their worthyness by hitting him every occasion they got...he will learn, no question about that

 

[26Mats]

Keep calm guys. Hits on him don't scare me at all, he is strong man. Yeah he need to keep his head up, but he is going to improve that with coaching staff. Don't worry guys, Suzuki too in his rookie season got hitting on him and looks now...

Keep calm and relax!

Eric Lindros, Brett Lindros, Guillaume Latendresse, Jeff Boukeboom, etc... were strong men. Their promising careers were all cut short by concussions.

 

[Shawnathon]

There is no glass ball where we know for sure. However, you're missing the point. You are clearly are not comprehending his growth in the 1st two months well. He could stall at some point yes but remember, you started this with a he is not growing narrative which is flawed.

If Slaf ends up a fringe top 6F in a few years, it don't make you right today. There is a shit load of more development to go yet. The debate is growth in the 1st two months.

You talked about all that growing then he goes out and smoked a 10th time just a few games later..

 

[ReHabs]

Lol...this is pure gold...few pages back you were all drooling on how amazing he was last 2 games and then 1 bad hit and you are loosing your minds

His big body is reason why this "tough" unskilled guys are proving their worthyness by hitting him every occasion they got...he will learn, no question about that

No everyone was drooling over a fluke goal on a goalie who was on bath salts.

Expecting him to learn to protect himself and to learn how to produce at the NHL level at the same time is likely too much.

 

[sandviper]

Maybe you're too young to remember Eric Lindros but he was more skilled, more tenacious, more understanding of physical hockey than Slafkovsky and his career was derailed due to his inability to be "more aware of the danger, keep his head up and watch his blind spots".

Lindros had incredible stats and in the dead-puck era and was a physical specimen, so it isn't a fair comparison to Slaf who will likely never be as productive or as physical but it's worth noting the downside comparables of rushing someone to the NHL who is not capable of keeping up with the physical threats around him.

Slaf was behind the play against Vancouver, as usual, because he's not NHL ready. I think I was wrong to say that he needs more minutes -- it's clear MSL is trying to protect him and bring him along slowly for his own good. Maybe it'll work but I don't see the point of rushing a skill player to the NHL to play garbage time next to scrubs and struggle when he plays in a scoring role. He wasn't too good for Liiga just six months ago so it's not like it's a surprise he's not keeping up with the NHL.


I doubt this was the concern. I think they thought he was too good for the OHL and the AHL option was no better than the NHL option (+MSL effect) so they ignored the fourth option: Europe. In any case, we'll only know by the end of the season if Slaf has really developed his NHL-game or not.

People forget Lindros really dished out the punishment himself. However, he was incredibly skilled and lethal in so many areas of the ice. His level of skill, physicality and size doesn't exist today.

Lindros‘ concussions weren’t due to a lack of awareness as it seems to be with Slaf. Other than headshots being a lot more common back then (looking at you Scott Stevens), Lindros played that game and other big guys returned the favour. Slaf getting laid out is more about him not being aware of his surroundings.

I know in interviews, Slaf comments on how fast the NHL is and while true, this isn‘t the only difference a player like him should be paying attention to. Unlike other leagues he’s played in, he’s no longer one of the biggest guys on the ice. Furthermore, even smaller players are built like houses and are a lot more physical than what he was used to.

Team is in a tough spot. He should be in the AHL but Houle sucks as does the Rocket. He is capable of playing in the NHL but he’ll be exposed on nights where he’s having an off game or opposing lines zero in on his inexperience.

Not worried about his losing confidence, but I am worried he’ll get hurt way before that.

 

[HabsForHire]

I've said this more times than I can count....SEND HIM DOWN ! This will be KK 2.0

Lol...this is pure gold...few pages back you were all drooling on how amazing he was last 2 games and then 1 bad hit and you are loosing your minds

His big body is reason why this "tough" unskilled guys are proving their worthyness by hitting him every occasion they got...he will learn, no question about that

Not me. I've said from the beginning he reminded me if kk in preseason, just keeping his head afloat and management says hey that's good enough
Let's rush you on up. People Here really think the ahl would be easy for him hahaha

 

[FrankMTL]

Maybe sending him to the World Juniors can help give him some confidence and let him use some of those skills during the next month.

 

[Habs Halifax]

You talked about all that growing then he goes out and smoked a 10th time just a few games later..

I didn't say he won't get hit again. He's 18 and is a bigger player that is not afraid of contact. It's going to happen and yes, he will learn one way or another.

I will echo previous comments. This is a feel out season and how he trains and gets ready for next season will reveal what his true development track is. How obsessed is he to improve and how he prepares himself both mentally and physically as he gets older in the next few seasons.

What are your plans? Send him to the AHL? Don't you think Hughes, Gorton, MSL see what you are seeing as well? I'm sure they seen him get hit?

 

[HabsForHire]

I would say Slaf crushes him solidly and Wright remains quiet and docile for the rest of the game.

This didn't age well

 

[Egresch]

Lol...this is pure gold...few pages back you were all drooling on how amazing he was last 2 games and then 1 bad hit and you are loosing your minds

His big body is reason why this "tough" unskilled guys are proving their worthyness by hitting him every occasion they got...he will learn, no question about that

Maybe you are referring to me. Yes, he plays very good for 18 year old and is improving. However, there is one thing in his game that does not show signs of improvement and that is his awareness. Including pre-season, he played like 25 games in NA and this is 5th or 6th big hit on him where he was not aware of it. And those were no dirty players- Rossi, Dickinson, Schenn.
I am just concerned, I do not want to have 22 year old former 1OA with three concussion under his belt. Look at Voracek, he is 33 and most probably needs to retire now and will suffer rest of his life with symptoms.

 

[MarkovsKnee]

He gets hurt a lot. Not sure if it’s just his head being down or not paying attention but it’s happening so often it can’t just be bad luck. Fortunately nothing serious yet but he’s going to have to make some adjustments.

I mean some of these are predatory hits too. Schenn got an interference penalty last night off his hit.

McDavid didn't win the Calder Trophy when he was a rookie. Why? Because he took a bad hit, and was taken out for the year. He even was told that he had been hurt on purpose.

Jack Hughes talked about all the shit talking he got on the ice as a rookie, and how he felt targeted.

Some of it is Slafkovsky not having played in an NA style game, and needing to be more aware, and some of it is just thugs (ex. Brown) trying to get after the kid.

 

[MarkovsKnee]

This didn't age well

Wright isn't Schenn.

 

[HabsForHire]

Wright isn't Schenn.

You Said slaf was gonna hit wright, when slaf is usually the one getting hit lol

 

[MarkovsKnee]

You Said slaf was gonna hit wright, when slaf is usually the one getting hit lol

I didn't say it.

And, Slafkovsky had at least 3 outstanding physical plays after he came back from the Schenn hit.

And, Wright doesn't hit, so there really aren't any concerns there.

 

[Egresch]

And, Wright doesn't hit, so there really aren't any concerns there.

I think he will, at least one game. Mark the date, he said.

 

[ReHabs]

Nice to find the replay. At the time it didn't look like a particularly dirty hit to me, Luke Schenn went easy on him too. Upon reflection it looks like less of a dirty hit, Schenn didn't take any strides.



He could've *easily* gotten injured off this hit.