A hint that will not please any Slovakian fan: However, no one will be angry with Montreal! – Športky.sk

Juraj Slafkovský Source: Profimedia MONTREAL – The Slovak under-20 hockey team is already preparing for the WC of this age category (August 9 to 20). The question is whether NHL draft pick Juraj Slafkovský will participate. The Slovak representatives will enter the tournament with a match against the Czech Republic. They will play the opening match on Tuesday, August 9 at 20:00 CEST (12:00 local time) in Edmonton, which will be the only venue of the tournament. In the A-group, they will also play against home team Canada, Latvia and Finland. At the moment, however, it looks more like the WC will be without the biggest star. In an interview for the club’s website, Montreal Canadiens manager Kent Hughes described their plans for the young Slovak. “We’ll take it week by week, month by month. I think the plan is for him to come back sometime in early August. He’ll be here training, skating, working with the development group and getting to know the players on the team to get acclimated to life in Montreal and North America,” Hughes said. Photo gallery (2) Kent Hughes is standing to the right of Juraj Slafkovský Source: SITA/AP/(Ryan Remiorz/The Canadian Press) In addition, he also commented on his move to North America. he went to Austria at 14 and then to Finland. He’s already playing against men and he’s physically ready for it. He really impresses me as a person and the way he deals with things. He’s very mature for an 18-year-old player. It’s not a question for us whether or not we’ll bring him to North America. It’s just a matter of managing his year properly and making sure we protect him developmentally,” he revealed to Slafkovski. The Under-20 World Cup in August is a replacement for the WC from the turn of 2021 and 2022, which although they started, but after four days the organizers ended them prematurely due to too many positive tests for Covid-19. If Slafkovský does not participate in the championship, the Slovaks will definitely not be angry – because everyone mainly wishes see in 1. z Juraj’s new year’s NHL pass in a Canadiens jersey. Author: © Zoznam Source: TASR, athletes