LW Juraj Slafkovsky (2022, 1st, MTL) Part 3

[GermanSpitfire]

Juraj Slafkovský at eliteprospects.com

Eliteprospects.com hockey player profile of Juraj Slafkovský, 2004-03-30 Kosice, SVK Slovakia. Most recently in the NHL with Montréal Canadiens. Complete player biography and stats.

www.eliteprospects.com

Last thread surpassed 1,000 posts and was getting a little bit messy - time for a new one. Will he make the Canadiens or not?

OHL Rights: Erie Otters

NHL Rights: Montrèal Canadiens

Part 1:

F Juraj Slafkovsky - TPS, Finland U20 (2022 Draft)

Pretty cool, as a 13 year old Juraj Slafkovsky is almost a PPG player in a U18(!) league. The Slovakian junior leagues aren't to write home about but I find it very interesting that a 13 year old is playing against teenages/adults. So far in 16 games he has 9 goals and 5 assists, totaling to 14...

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Part 2:

LW Juraj Slafkovsky - TPS Turku, Liiga (2022, 1st, MTL) Part 2

https://www.eliteprospects.com/player/527423/juraj-slafkovsky Previous thread had over 1000 posts, time for a part 2!

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Click to read more...

 

[GermanSpitfire]

 

[SlafCaufield]

hes an absolute beast out there,, every clip I see he is hounding down pucks and his stride is so powerful

I want to see him ride shotgun with Goalfield and Suzuki maybe not to start the season but at least by Christmas,, I think if hes in the NHL all year he wins the Calder Trophy

I love seeing how strong he is and how he battles for every puck which is the type of play that wins you playoff series and cups which we've seen the other recent first overall picks cant even win a playoff round lol

 

[GermanSpitfire]

 

[SlafCaufield]

Slaf was dominant out there tonight,, i couldnt be happier

not the hottest start in the 1st period but he took over the game after that

Leafs D could not contain him down low and behind the net and it resulted in a goal after he walked out and put a hard shot that the goalie couldnt handle and led to a rebound for Drouin to bang in

this kid is special and it was shown all over the ice tonight

 

[Field of Dreams]

Promising prospect. Will need atleast a couple years to simmer in laval. Has size and strength but doesn't use it.

 

[5 14 6 1]

Slaf was dominant out there tonight,, i couldnt be happier

not the hottest start in the 1st period but he took over the game after that

Leafs D could not contain him down low and behind the net and it resulted in a goal after he walked out and put a hard shot that the goalie couldnt handle and led to a rebound for Drouin to bang in

this kid is special and it was shown all over the ice tonight

Wasn't the game 5-1?

 

[MichaelFarrell]

Early preseason/rookie tournament assessment:

Slafkovsky is a freight train. North-south power winger type player. His strength and size allow him to bypass the biggest initial hurdle for some young players which is simply being too slight and hesitant out of fear of contact from larger opponents. Slafkovsky is strong on the puck, has excellent poise and a powerful shot. Physically, I don’t think I’ve seen an 18 year old quite as ready to play against grown men. His frame allows him to not rush a play out of fear of contact. It’s a great advantage for him.

Slafkovsky shows very little willingness to engage in physical play despite his frame. I think if he continues to attempt to play more of a skill game, he won’t reach his full potential. I don’t look at him as a potential line driving top player. Sure, he has shown the ability to carry the puck in for a zone entry, but I don’t think that’ll be his game. He also needs to show way more engagement in the defensive zone. He’s cherry picking a lot out there. His acceleration is a big weakness at this point. His top speed is good but he’s slow getting there. He tends to be the very last player to enter the D Zone after a turnover.

For Slafkovsky to be worth a 1st overall pick, he needs to be more physical, he needs to be engaged in the defense zone and he must work on his acceleration. I love his tools. I think he has the potential to be a great player.

 

[Kojo]

Okay no he's not a north south player at all get the f*** out of here, his lateral movement for an 18 years old is phenomenal, almost Jagr like.

And the reason that he's not that physical is because he almost constantly has two players trying to defend against him.

 

[alko]

North-south power winger type player

I like ice-hockey English.

 

[ijuka]

Hm, when I was watching him, north-south type player was not how I'd have described him. I saw him as more of an east-west type, and a skill player rather than a physical player. Obviously, he's tough to contain due to his size, but I wouldn't exactly call him a power forward.

Then again, perhaps he's playing a different style now in North America.

For Slafkovsky to be worth a 1st overall pick, he needs to be more physical, he needs to be engaged in the defense zone and he must work on his acceleration. I love his tools. I think he has the potential to be a great player.

In Finland he always was lost in the defensive zone, so that was probably the biggest weakness. In terms of physicality there were some flashes, but he's not as physical in play style as someone like Kemell, even though he would easily have the size to do so.

Honestly, it's a bit tired that every big player's being made to be a power forward. Slafkovsky's clearly a skill player, I'd hope that his development is focused on that.

 

[Colezuki]

Wasn't the game 5-1?

Don’t know what your expecting when they ice the Laval D. Besides this is the Slafkovsky thread probably our best and most consistent forward threat with Dach last night.

 

[ffh]

Don’t know what your expecting when they ice the Laval D. Besides this is the Slafkovsky thread probably our best and most consistent forward threat with Dach last night.

They iced quite a few regulars didn't they.

 

[Colezuki]

They iced quite a few regulars didn't they.

No, the only regular was matheson, maybe outside shot for Barron/ xhekaj to start but the expected starting D is

Matheson edmunson
Savard Guhle
Wideman harris

Whereas last night it was

Matheson. Leskinen
Xhekaj barron
Schenuman Bowey

 

[Jukurit]

This seems good.

 

[gifted88]

You could see the great tools he possesses last night but he'll need time to put it all together. Maybe going back to Liiga would be good for his development.

 

[Colezuki]

You could see the great tools he possesses last night but he'll need time to put it all together. Maybe going back to Liiga would be good for his development.

Sounds like the AHL or NHL, I don't think he's going back based on managements comments

 

[JohnLennon]

This seems good.

I was at the game. Slafkovsky-Dach-Hoffman was an electric line for the Habs, by far their best one with the most high-danger chances. These stats mirror what I witnessed, so I tend to agree with them. Great night for Slafkovsky in particular.

Slafkovsky on an individual level arguably had and created the most offensive chances. He got robbed by Murray on a cross-crease one-timer, and missed the net on another one-timer. He created the Habs' only goal by Drouin. He also created some great passing plays that led to high-danger chances. He looked very good, got shots on net, and used his body to cut into high-danger areas. His speed is better than I expected but his acceleration needs some work. His defensive game is a bit of a mess, but you can see him asking questions about his positioning and so I am optimistic he will continue learning that aspect.

His body is great for fending off players and bulldozing by the defense up the boards on a rush. He has a clear nose for the net. His creativity on the rush is apparent, and he tends to lean more towards an East-West game, especially once the offensive zone is established. He has shown very, very soft hands but didn't use them as much last night - most likely since this is his third real NHL experience and he is still getting comfortable. I really liked what I saw from him (and Dach, to be honest, great player).

Future is bright for Slafkovsky if he continues to build upon what he already has.

 

[Nico Cauzuki]

They iced quite a few regulars didn't they.

Matheson was our only regular

that being said im well awared that Leafs would destroy our habs regardless

 

[DuklaNation]

Ideally he'd start in AHL but as #1 pick, that likely won't happen. Power winger needs time to adjust.

 

[SlafySZN]

Ideally he'd start in AHL but as #1 pick, that likely won't happen. Power winger needs time to adjust.

I think they’ll see after the pre-season, maybe give him some regular season games and then see how he does and how he feels then he will get send to the AHL if they think it’s the best for him. If they do send him in the AHL i think he’ll be back with the habs at some point during the season.

 

[GermanSpitfire]

Give him his cup of coffee to start the season based on draft prestige alone - see if he can figure it out. If he doesn’t by say… 5 games, have him get top line minutes and PP time in Laval Until either next year or until he makes it impossible for you to keep him in the minors.

Slafkovsky shouldn’t be rushed.

 

[Captain97]

Give him his cup of coffee to start the season based on draft prestige alone - see if he can figure it out. If he doesn’t by say… 5 games, have him get top line minutes and PP time in Laval Until either next year or until he makes it impossible for you to keep him in the minors.

Slafkovsky shouldn’t be rushed.

This is the correct and reasonable response. Give him 5-10 games with all NHLers in them and decide what to do from there. AHL and NHL are both viable options imo bit Slaf needs to tell us which he belongs in based on his play.

Also tonight they are playing him with Suzuki and Caufield. Should be fun to watcb

 

[CowbellConray]

He simply wont hit his potential for a while. As he gets older, he will get even stronger, learn to use his strength even more, and results will show.

I think by 23-24 he will be a top line 70+ point winger who can take over a game like what a young JVR almost was

 

[JohnLennon]

He simply wont hit his potential for a while. As he gets older, he will get even stronger, learn to use his strength even more, and results will show.

I think by 23-24 he will be a top line 70+ point winger who can take over a game like what a young JVR almost was

If Tage Thompson's development curve tell us anything, it's that these REALLY big kids can take a lot of time (and patience) to fully find their potential. Some of them don't take that long, but it's best to give them as much leash as possible.

Looking forward to tonight's first line:

Cole Caufield-Nick Suzuki-Juraj Slafkovsky

Should be fun!