Juraj Slafkovský sent a clear message: I think this is what Montreal needs – SPORT.SK

today 14:52 | Slovak hockey striker Juraj Slafkovský is one of the leading candidates for the highest positions in this year’s draft of newcomers to the overseas NHL. The Montreal Canadiens will choose first place in July, and the 18-year-old from Košice thinks that the most successful team in the history of profiliga will be met by someone like him. The most useful player of the Olympic hockey tournament in Beijing believes that he is ready to be among the best players in the world next season. “I feel like I’m almost ready for the NHL. I can play well, score goals and be creative. I’m a robust and tough player, I can deal points and do all the trivia. Of course, I can also pass passes, I try to do everything. I think that this is what Montreal needs, “Slafkovsky said in an interview with Anthony Martineau of TVA Sports. The reigning vice-champion of the Finnish Liiga with the TPS Turku team can imagine himself in the first “Habs” attack. “I feel I can be ready for next season, I played in the men’s competition last year. I can be a boon to the first attack by taking pucks from my opponents and handing out passes to my teammates. Of course, I can shoot and pass myself. players, we could score a lot of goals, “thinks Slafkovský. The most productive Slovak hockey player at the World Cup 2022 in Finland would like to play with the stellar young strikers of Montreal Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield. “I like the idea of ​​playing with them in formation. Since they are not very robust, they could have a wingman on the left or right side who would get pucks for them, create chances for them or score goals himself,” Slafkovský stated. How would he feel if he was drafted by the Canadiens? “It would mean a lot to me, it’s a club with a rich history and a big fan base. They like to win and so do I, so we would fit in.” The bronze medalist from the Beijing Olympics was not as productive last season in Liiga as in the jersey of the Slovak national team. “I had more freedom in the national team, the style of play was different. We didn’t score as many goals in Liige, I played in the third or fourth formation and it was challenging when I only played for about ten minutes per game. Of course, I don’t want to “I was more confident in the national team when I had more space and trust from the coach. If I have it, I can be a really good player,” Slafkovský explained. The young Slovak also remembered the beginning of his hockey career. He soon realized that he had talent and could become a hockey player. “My parents told me that when I first skated on the ice, my eyes lit up and they couldn’t get me out of there. I knew what I wanted to do right from the first practice. At the age of about 13 or 14, I realized I could be a hockey player. Then I moved out of the house and said to myself that one day I want to be a professional player, “added Slafkovský, who may become the highest drafted Slovak in history. The record still belongs to Marián Gáborík, whom the Minnesota Wild club chose from third place in 2000.