He Montreal Canadians selected winger Juraj Slafkovsky with the first pick in the NHL draft on Thursday night, making him the first player from Slovakia to be selected No. 1.
Slafkovsky, who starred at the Beijing Olympics without NHL players and was the tournament’s MVP, was the choice over Canadian center Shane Wright, who had long been considered the favorite to be in this spot even before Montreal. won the draft lottery.
Instead, the Canadians went with the 6-foot-4 Slafkovsky, who surpasses Marian Gaborik as the top drafted player from Slovakia. Gaborik was third to Ottawa in 2000.
Slafkovsky, who has been compared to the late Hockey Hall of Famer Clark Gillies and plays a bit like a young Jaromir Jagr, said he told the Canadiens Thursday morning to take him.
The Canadians chose between Slafkovsky, Wright and American forward Logan Cooley in his first time at the top of the draft since 1980.
Slafkovsky, who turned 18 in March, is among the most NHL-ready players in the draft after playing against grown men in Finland last season and impressing at the Olympics with seven goals in seven games. The youngest player in the tournament was the main reason Slovakia won an Olympic bronze medal for the first time.
NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman opened the draft in French by saying, “Bon soir, Montreal.” When fans booed him as is customary, he said: “Thank you for that welcome. It’s a return to normalcy.” This was the league’s first in-person draft since 2019 in Vancouver.
It’s the first time the host team has picked first since the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1985 when they got Wendell Clark. The Leafs received the loudest boos at roll call, with some in the crowd chanting, “’67!” in reference to the last year Toronto won the Stanley Cup.
Recent deaths in hockey were also recognized before the Canadiens entered the clock. Bettman asked those in the draft room and in the stands to observe a moment of silence for retired defenseman Bryan Marchment, who died at 53 on Wednesday in Montreal, where he was attending the draft as a scout for the San Jose Sharks. .
The sons of late Hall of Famers Guy Lafleur and Mike Bossy also addressed the crowd, along with Canadiens coach Martin St. Louis, who was serenaded with chants of “Ole! Ole! Hey!” St. Louis, who went undrafted before having a Hall of Fame career, quipped, “It took me 45 years to finally make my first draft. It was worth the wait.”
Opposing pressure now belongs to Slafkovsky, who could soon play alongside top Canadian forwards Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield.
Information from Associated Press.
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