‘He’s so f—in competitive’: Canadiens’ Juraj Slafkovsky is shining for Slovakia

Steven Ellis
Steven Ellis
‘He’s so f—in competitive’: Canadiens’ Juraj Slafkovsky is shining for Slovakia

Maybe the Montreal Canadiens were on to something when they selected Juraj Slafkovsky first overall in 2022. Just maybe.

The big 20-year-old has been a hot topic in Habs land for the past two years. His rookie struggles were well-documented, but a 50-point sophomore season allowed the fanbase to breathe. And now he’s leading Slovakia at his third World Championship appearance, where he’s hoping to help his nation advance to the playoff round and compete for a medal in Czechia.

Slafkovsky hasn’t registered a goal yet through two games, but he has three assists on Slovakia’s top line. But one thing’s clear: he’s been one of the best NHLers at this tournament early on. There have been a few instances where he’s made high-quality passes that, say, Cole Caufield or Nick Suzuki would capitalize on. But he hasn’t had the same success with two Slovak linemates who, while good in their own right, don’t have the same skill to finish the plays Slafkovsky is making.

He’s also pissing off everyone in comes in contact with him. He didn’t fly back to Europe to make friends – he wants to win, and badly.

Even though a goal has alluded him, he’s found plenty of ways to stay engaged. His work in front of the net resulted in two goals against Germany in a comeback effort that ultimately got thwarted. He’s also been good on the power play and one of Slovakia’s better backcheckers, which wasn’t the case when he played in this tournament two years ago.

It’s about as complete of a package as we’ve seen from Slafkovsky so far in his young career. He simply has no fear.

While it’s a small sample size, the World Championship has acted as a microcosm to showcase just how good Slafkovsky’s development has come over the past few years. There’s always pressure to perform as a No. 1 pick, but when you weren’t the consensus top prospect and struggled out of the gate in one of the biggest hockey markets in the world, have fun dealing with the target on your back.

One of the biggest criticisms about Slaf’s early NHL action was that he didn’t do enough to use his big 6-foot-4, 230-plus pound frame to win battles around the net. But on his second assist against Germany, he used his size to overpower two defenders before another player directed in the puck. That was just one play that led to a goal, but he did that same type of move multiple times in his first two games.

It’s fascinating to watch, truly. You don’t have to love the World Championship, but it still attracts high-quality competition for a reason. What we’re seeing from Slafkovsky is someone who’s playing with so much confidence, poise and skill. We’ve seen him put on some great performances with Slovakia’s men’s team in the past, highlighted by his MVP title at the 2022 Olympics. But Slafkovsky is in control and finding ways to contribute away from just putting pucks in the net.

“He just makes himself so valuable in different areas,” one scout in Czechia said. “That’s something that he lacked in his rookie season, but he looks like he isn’t afraid to make mistakes anymore. Once you get past that hurdle as a young player, things start clicking and the results follow.”

Slovakia hasn’t had the hardest road yet, but if you watched him against the United States in pre-tournament play – where he scored a goal – you saw someone playing with fire.

“He just shows up when he wears the Slovak jersey,” a Slovakian scout said. “Winning means so much to him. He’s so f—— competitive out there.”

The Slovaks play in Group B with Sweden and the United States, alongside 2023 medalists Germany and Latvia. Slovakia only has a handful of NHLers in the lineup, with Slafkovsky being the most prominent forward on the team. They have a legitimate chance at going far this year as long as they can get good goaltending and extra scoring depth beyond their top six. They’re not a deep team, but if there’s anything the Slovaks can do well at this tournament, it’s banding together and capitalizing on every chance handed to them.

Slafkovsky trumps his Slovak forward colleagues in ice time by nearly a minute, playing 18:57 despite being the youngest player on the team. But as a three-time participant, he’s basically a 20-year-old veteran. As one of just a handful of NHL players on the roster, there’s extra pressure – and the abundance of No. 20 Slafkovsky jerseys in Ostrava exemplifies that.

He loves the attention; he basks in it. And there’s no better stage for him right now than the international one.

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