Juraj Slafkovsky - Year Two

[Nova_Scotia_Vees]

I feel like other teams players are starting to fear him in the O zone. He's like a savage going after the puck and his so huge and strong now that they can't hold him off like last year. He's making huge strides to become that PF we are hoping for. I'm constantly screaming at the TV for us to finish our checks and Slaf has been listening..

 

[Habricot]

Retreiving pucks is one of the most important skills in todays NHL and a skill that we missed desperatly in the past 20 years!

 

[Adam Michaels]

Big change from last season is added strength and much better balance. Also, he has much better awareness - he's not getting levelled anymore. I believe those were the only things he focused on in the offseason. That bodes well. He is supremely coachable.

He has his head up now. He's not getting levelled. Nicolas Cloutier of TVA Sports had a feature before the season began about Slaf's off-season training. Remember the pictures of him on a bike with the breathing mask on and doing drills on the ice with the shades on? Cloutier got in touch with the guy who had Slaf doing that kind of training.

The guy said that he was seeing Slaf lose his balance a lot and would often be tired towards the end of his shift, which coincided with getting caught with his head down. The trainer said that by the end of the summer, Slaf's breathing had improved by 20%. That's a lot. And that surely contributes to him being more steady and not as tired to the point he slants his head down and becomes more vulnerable.

And in terms of his puck protection, Hughes did an interview with Jimmy Murphy and Pierre McGuire several days ago. He mentioned that one thing Slaf is starting to figure out is that when he protects the puck, he doesn't always have to have his stick on the puck. He lets go of the puck, absorbs the hit and then takes the puck again and continues the play.

It's a little detail that 95% of us won't notice, but MSL, management, and the development staff do and have helped him work on those minor details.

Next steps are to improve his shot and to be more assertive by driving to the net with / without the puck.

Definitely. All these things should come with time. But surely aspects of his game that need to be improved.

He's a project that is progressing slowly and deliberately as a project should. The finished product is kind of exciting to thinkg about.

Last year, he played 39 games. So picture where he was in Game 39 last year before he got hurt. And then think of where he is in Game 32 this year. You'll see the big steps he's taken in his development.

 

[Kennerback]

Big change from last season is added strength and much better balance. Also, he has much better awareness - he's not getting levelled anymore. I believe those were the only things he focused on in the offseason. That bodes well. He is supremely coachable.

Next steps are to improve his shot and to be more assertive by driving to the net with / without the puck.

He's a project that is progressing slowly and deliberately as a project should. The finished product is kind of exciting to thinkg about.

His shot and offence need work. But he’s so incredible for a 19 year old in the rest of his game that there’s so much promise. He protects teammates, seems always positive, really wants to win and he does look supremely coachable.

 

[Kennerback]

It's a 'fight' against those 'bearish' guys.


Slaf improved in other areas, what is a chance once his focus is on shooting he will not improve?
Zero!!

We even have a Slovakian poster Pomee that will make sure he doesn’t cut corner on his intense shot release training regimen in Kosice this summer.

 

[Team_Spirit]

Why is Slaf always no1 on hockeydb

 

[Jack Skellington]

He had a few great puck protection sequences last night

I think he's starting to realize he doesn't have to panic and that he has an extra second to process than most other fwds in the corners

 

[The Gr8 Dane]

I think he's starting to realize he doesn't have to panic and that he has an extra second to process than most other fwds in the corners

The willingness to engage first was always there even when he wasn't succesful with it in his first year. That's something that's a huge quality of his , not afraid of failure and reckonizing why he was not being successful with it.

Even when losing alot of physical battles last year he never got shy about engaging first, now his technique and strength are coming together this year. He's probably even surprising himself with some of the plays he can find himself creating that he could not last year.

 

[danisonfire]

He should have had at least 3-4 (points), I'm not worried. I just want him to keep scanning the ice with his head up the rest can be figured out when you have that "information". It can be challenging to see/make the correct play when you are looking at your skates. He is doing better at scanning with his head up this year.

Here is my update almost halfway through the season:

The points are slowly starting to come. He is still doing a great job scanning the ice and play. He is now starting to "use" that information effectively. He is slowly putting it together. You can still see him whiffing on the odd shot attempt. He is getting used to shooting with his head up. This is all extremely positive. Head up and scanning the play is the entire key to this players success. He has the physical tools. He seems to be learning and adapting the mental aspects of the game too.

This is what he needs to develop into a star forward. He seems to be a smart kid and decent learner. I'm not worried and much less worried than last year. In a few years of he keeps this up and continues to grow as a player he will be a great asset for this team.

 

[Habs]

He should be a male model and doing the 'Blue Steel' if hockey doesn't pan out.

 

[le_sean]

He should be a male model and doing the 'Blue Steel' if hockey doesn't pan out.

He is a good looking guy who will be quite marketable in the city with his personality. I’m glad they haven’t bombarded him with this responsibility yet. But if he becomes a premier power forward in the league, his face will be everywhere in town.

 

[Habs]

He is a good looking guy who will be quite marketable in the city with his personality. I’m glad they haven’t bombarded him with this responsibility yet. But if he becomes a premier power forward in the league, his face will be everywhere in town.

yeah he's marketable no doubt

 

[HabbyGuy]

I feel like other teams players are starting to fear him in the O zone. He's like a savage going after the puck and his so huge and strong now that they can't hold him off like last year. He's making huge strides to become that PF we are hoping for. I'm constantly screaming at the TV for us to finish our checks and Slaf has been listening.

I'm not sure about fear, just not yet, but a few nights ago I remember the opposition was chirping at him at the benches. He's starting to atleast get in their heads. It's promising.

 

[McGuires Corndog]

Kid is doing all the right things and making the most of his minutes on the top line. Future is bright for him and we all need to just stay patient.

What a nice kid too. Impossible to not like the person.

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

That goal last night was a big body doing big body things. He is going to score many more goals right in that spot.

Yes. Needs to shoot more and go to the net. As he does this the points will come.

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

What's positive is that it is often the case that good players pick up points in this way. They don't always get apples by making the fanciest plays. Because their talent allows them to be constantly involved in the play and making puck touches, they rack up points off of cycles, deflections, and rebounds.

It's all very positive. I'm bullish on his potential.

He doesn’t strike me as a ‘fancy’ type player. He’s going to score some garbage goals and make nice passes. He’s not a dipsy doodler - which if perfectly fine btw.

 

[Non Player Canadiens]

He has his head up now. He's not getting levelled. Nicolas Cloutier of TVA Sports had a feature before the season began about Slaf's off-season training. Remember the pictures of him on a bike with the breathing mask on and doing drills on the ice with the shades on? Cloutier got in touch with the guy who had Slaf doing that kind of training.

The guy said that he was seeing Slaf lose his balance a lot and would often be tired towards the end of his shift, which coincided with getting caught with his head down. The trainer said that by the end of the summer, Slaf's breathing had improved by 20%. That's a lot. And that surely contributes to him being more steady and not as tired to the point he slants his head down and becomes more vulnerable.

And in terms of his puck protection, Hughes did an interview with Jimmy Murphy and Pierre McGuire several days ago. He mentioned that one thing Slaf is starting to figure out is that when he protects the puck, he doesn't always have to have his stick on the puck. He lets go of the puck, absorbs the hit and then takes the puck again and continues the play.

It's a little detail that 95% of us won't notice, but MSL, management, and the development staff do and have helped him work on those minor details.



Definitely. All these things should come with time. But surely aspects of his game that need to be improved.



Last year, he played 39 games. So picture where he was in Game 39 last year before he got hurt. And then think of where he is in Game 32 this year. You'll see the big steps he's taken in his development.

nice post homie, thx

 

[waitin425]

He doesn’t strike me as a ‘fancy’ type player. He’s going to score some garbage goals and make nice passes. He’s not a dipsy doodler - which if perfectly fine btw.

He is going to be highly efficient with very little flash. Future playoff warrior.

 

[Habssince89]

Yeah I think that's actually where some people were misled about Slaf and denied his skill/IQ. He's not a Kovalev. It's not going to be pretty. He's going to be a physical monster who protects the puck and dishes out assists. He's going to be a great kind of player to have in the mix amongst whoever else is in our top6. His puckhandling skills are impressing me and I like that when he does deke, he understands that his reach should be his focus and not worrying about a million stickhandles.

 

[SlafySZN]

He doesn’t strike me as a ‘fancy’ type player. He’s going to score some garbage goals and make nice passes. He’s not a dipsy doodler - which if perfectly fine btw.

To be honest, he can do that too. We’ll see him try more things as his confidence grow and has more experience.

 

[OldCraig71]

Imagine being an opposing defenseman turning to get the puck in the corner knowing that the young bull is charging toward you lol. He is more involved now, harder to handle along the boards and not shying away from the rough going. He is starting to feel it.

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

To be honest, he can do that too. We’ll see him try more things as his confidence grow and has more experience.

We’ll see. Not all great players are fancy dancy. Robitaille, Brett Hull, Jagr, Lindros… very effective but not a lot of flash.

 

[Kennerback]

Yeah I think that's actually where some people were misled about Slaf and denied his skill/IQ. He's not a Kovalev. It's not going to be pretty. He's going to be a physical monster who protects the puck and dishes out assists. He's going to be a great kind of player to have in the mix amongst whoever else is in our top6. His puckhandling skills are impressing me and I like that when he does deke, he understands that his reach should be his focus and not worrying about a million stickhandles.

I find his stick skills unique. He’s an excellent stickhandler, he can deke a D or a goalie, he can make nice line to line passes and thread a pass in little space. That’s in a 6’3 240 pounds package. But he seems to have focused all his energy on these technical skills and not so much on shooting and shot release.

The easiest thing for him to fix this achille’s heel is to get dirty goals and assists. Many of his assists should be off rebounds like on Suzuki’s goal. I think he can take it to another level if he just keeps putting the puck on net. Keep it very simple.

 

[Le Tricolore]

Tonight, he has the chance to show Bedard who the real 1st Overall pick is.

They should fight.

 

[Kennerback]

We’ll see. Not all great players are fancy dancy. Robitaille, Brett Hull, Jagr, Lindros… very effective but not a lot of flash.

Mike Bossy said he always aimed 5 hole. Slaf is missing the net way too much left and right. Just send 5 hole a hard pass (like the ones he’s been sending Caufield lately). He might score, he might get a rebound, he’ll create confusion…