Juraj Slafkovsky Is Proving Why He Was Taken First Overall

It was quite the surprise back in July 2022 when the Montreal Canadiens stepped onto the stage at the Bell Centre and announced they were selecting Juraj Slafkovsky with the first overall pick in the draft.

Shane Wright was widely viewed as the consensus top prospect, with Logan Cooley not far behind, but Montreal passed on both—trusting its gut and making the unexpected choice, and that decision is paying off in a big way.

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Slafkovsky’s rookie season was a struggle, and both he and the Canadiens took heat—not just locally, but from the hockey world as a whole. However, over the following two seasons, he began to silence many of those doubters, and now in year four, he has only continued to ascend, taking his game to another level.

Through just 46 games, Slafkovsky has already buried 17 goals to go along with 21 assists for 38 points, putting him just three goals and 13 points shy of his career highs with 36 games still to play. It’s safe to say he’ll surpass those totals with ease, especially given his recent surge—producing at better than a point-per-game pace over his last 24 contests.

Many still try to knock on Montreal for the pick, but at this point, it’s becoming impossible to deny that Slafkovsky already is—and will continue to be—one of the most skilled power forwards in the game for years to come. His rare mix of skill, size, strength, and underrated hockey sense is a matchup nightmare for opponents, and he’s only just scratching the surface at 21-years-old.

Is Juraj Slafkovsky the Best Player From His Class?

Very few players from the 2022 draft class can be mentioned in the same breath as Slafkovsky, given his early-career impact and production. That said, there are a few who stack up closely, if not better.

The aforementioned Cooley has showcased his elite skill set with the Utah Mammoth as one of the league’s brightest young centers, while Cutter Gauthier has exploded in his second full season with the Anaheim Ducks. Impressive as those performances have been, the strongest case may belong to Slafkovsky’s own teammate: Lane Hutson, who has already established himself as one of the NHL’s top defensemen and looks like an absolute steal as a second-round pick (62nd overall).

You could argue that any—or all—of those three may ultimately be better than Slafkovsky. But given how things have played out for Montreal, landing both Slafkovsky and Hutson, it’s hard to imagine the Canadiens wishing they had done anything differently.

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