today 14:17 | He has an extremely successful base in the Canadian Junior League OHL. Martin Chromiak scored 44 goals in 60 matches, to which he added 42 assists. The player drafted by the Los Angeles Kings in 2020, with whom he has already signed a contract, also took the senior national team. He was supposed to take part in a preparatory camp, but he was not released from the club and, as he revealed, he would not want to leave his team before the playoffs. He advanced from the 3rd place with the Kingston Frontenacs team and the round of 16 starts on April 23. The first attack, in which 19-year-old Martin Chromiak also plays with the estimated draft unit Canadian Shan Wright, has a great deal of credit for this placement. We talked to him on Wednesday, just at the time when Juraj Slafkovský played his first final match in Finland. How would you evaluate the basic part? “She was successful, whether on my side or as a team. The whole team was doing well for me, it fell out there. Worse periods have also been better, but overall I rate it positively. We are happy to have finished third and we are starting the playoffs on home ice. ” The goal in the playoffs is the title? “Every team has such a goal, but at the moment we do not know what it will be like. We go from match to match. The first goal is to win the 1st round, then we will concentrate on the second. The goal is the title, but we go from series to series. ” What were you like at the beginning of the season and now after the end of the regular season? What have you improved the most? “Compared to the beginning of the season, I started shooting more, and I felt better. I have a good shot. I kept being stressed that I was a shooter and I always had to shoot. This is the main thing I started to use in the second half of the season, which was also shown in the statistics. I scored more goals. ” What else should you work on? “Definitely on the defensive. In junior and the next higher level, it’s something else. Here, especially offensive things were expected of me, but I can’t forget the defensive either. I know that next season will be very important for me to get on the team and stay there. I will have to work on it and focus more on it. ” photo gallery Martin Chromiak Source: kingstonfrontenacs.com What feedback did you have from the Los Angeles Kings on your performances? “They also urged me to use the shot and skate. Especially at the end of the season, I did well. When the match came out, they wrote to me. They often came to watch me. Then we had a meeting after the matches, where they told me what I had done well and what I should improve. In my opinion, they were satisfied with my performances during the season. ” You are playing with Canadian Shan Wright in the attack. Together you took care of more than 50 goals. Has your collaboration improved during the season? “Certainly yes. We haven’t played together in a year and a half. The beginning of the season was therefore weaker, but over time we found the chemistry we had with each other for the first year. And before the playoffs, it’s as it should be again. ” There were voices towards him that he did not do as expected … “It must be difficult for every player in the draft season. Especially for him, when he has been built into the position of draft unit since he was a child. It must be difficult for him. I don’t envy him the pressure. But he handled it well. What people write means nothing. We tried to help him not think about it and play his game. By the end of the season, he was proving to everyone that he was the player they were talking about. ” His biggest competitor in the fight for the draft unit is currently Juraj Slafkovský. “They are both good friends of mine. I wish they could be both, but it’s up to the teams. They’re both great hockey players and they deserve it. ” So at the draft you will celebrate whether the unit will be Shane Wright or Juraj Slafkovský? “It simply came to our notice then. Jur is doing very well now and I believe he will be drafted very high. I honestly think the unit will be either him or Shane. ” He just scored a goal for TPS Turku in the final. “Yes, I know. We are watching the match with the Finnish teammate. ” Read also VIDEO: Liiga: Juraj Slafkovský scored the first goal in the final. TPS Turku it … Your name was also mentioned in connection with the men’s national team, in which they wanted to give you a chance, but they did not release you from the club. “I’ve been playing here all season and we’re getting ready for the playoffs. This is my club. The only way I could go is to get out of the playoffs. It is clear that they will not release me and I would not want to go either, as this is a club where I play all season. It would be unfair to the team if I left before the playoffs. I was pleased that they wanted to see me in the national team, but now I’m here and I’m concentrating on the playoffs. ” Where will you operate next season? “My career at the OHL is coming to an end this year, I could only be here next season with an exception, which most clubs don’t want. I would take a seat for both an older and a foreign player. I will definitely not stay here, I want to move to men’s hockey. I believe I will win a seat at the Los Angeles Kings Farm and play there next season. ” photo gallery Martin Chromiak and Šimon Nemec (both Slovakia U20) celebrate a goal in the Canadian network Source: SITA / AP The new season will begin with the Junior World Championships, which will take place in mid-August. Are you planning to go for them? “I haven’t talked to the Los Angeles Kings yet. They will probably have the final say on whether or not they release me. I would definitely like to be able to go. We’ll see how they handle it. At that time, there will be camping and preparation for the season. We’ll talk about it after the playoffs and see how it turns out. ” Your younger brother, 16-year-old defender Jakub, took part in the Under-18 World Championships in Piešťany, where he fought his way back to the elite category with Slovakia … “I watch his matches throughout the season, whether he played in the first league or as a junior. I was very happy when he got a chance in the A-team Dukly Trenčín. He turned out in a good light, he has it. He won a place at the championships, where I also watched every single match. I support him and we support each other. I’m very happy that he’s doing so well. ” Do you advise him as an older brother? “We always write after the match. He will tell me how I feel and what I think. If I tell him anything, he will come at me and listen to me. I try to give him the best I can. I have already gained some experience during my career. For example, I notice what the defenders are advising here and then I tell him. He has improved a lot since the beginning of the season. I think he showed it at the championships. “