Scout’s analysis: Slafkovsky begins his NHL journey with Canadiens at Rookie Challenge

The Juraj Slafkovsky era began in Montreal.

The first overall pick of the 2022 draft faced the Montreal Canadiens in Thursday’s Buffalo Sabers Rookie Challenge.

Anyone who has read my attitude towards players here at Sportsnet.ca over the past few months will recognize that my analysis is unbiased. My goal is to give an insight into how potential customers are evaluated at events like this at the start of a new season.

Aside from that, here’s Slafkovsky’s review from Buffalo:

line mates

Slafkovsky played on the wing alongside his 2022 first-round pick Filip Mesar, who was picked 26th overall in July. The other winger was Riley Kidney, a second-round selection from the 2021 draft.

power forward framework

It’s clear from the start that Montreal sees Slafkovsky’s size and strength as an advantage when it comes to putting together linemates to play alongside the Slovakian striker. He is listed at 6″4 229lbs for this event but rumor has it he may weigh as much as 239lbs.

(By comparison, Mesar is listed at 5”10 167lbs and Kidney 5”11 168lbs)

tempo

It’s really incredible that someone his size can get a seat as quickly as he can. He was quick on small areas and showed a walk through the neutral zone with and without the puck. He won’t have any trouble with the pace of the NHL game.

First to the scene (F1)

Slafkovsky was a distraction throughout the game, sourcing his push with and without the puck. When the Habs transitioned to throwing a puck into the offensive zone, he was actively chasing opponents. His long range caused some turnovers.

Even more impressive is that he – literally – treated defenders in their bottom zone. He easily physically knocked them off the pucks, corralled loose pucks and went to work offensively.

I’m struggling to put his physical dominance in the trenches into words and use appropriate adjectives. It’s impressive to watch.

200ft Game / All Situations

Slafkovsky did not skimp on his efforts. He traced all the way back to his zone. When it was his responsibility to provide counter-pressure, he would take play up to his circle to eliminate scoring chances against him.

On the power play, he made some sneaky plays through bodies and under opponent sticks that distributed the puck. He’s not one to stand still after the play has been moved. He goes to the middle of the ice, net front, deploying screens and looking for spikes and rebounds. In doing so, he takes the “eyes” from the goalkeepers and gives the opponents everything they can to remove him from their goal line.

On the penalty kill, he rotated relatively well in his zone and pressed the play-up ice. His only point of the game against Buffalo came from a puck race, which he won on ice. He considered his options and found that Mesar was late. He fed him a pass into the left circle for the short goal and primary assist.

Areas that need improvement

Coming from Europe and playing on the larger ice surface, it will take some time for Slafkovsky to make some adjustments to his game.

On the one hand, his 200-foot effort, which tracks all the way to his crease on the backcheck, will come off easier with less ice to cover.

On the other hand, he will learn that North American ice is less wide and getting pucks in the middle of the ice is a risky proposition. There were at least three occasions when Juraj got into the middle of the ice and exposed himself and the puck. Lucky for him, guys like Scott Stevens don’t typically patrol the NHL blue lines in today’s NHL.

(Full credits to Buffalo Sabers Blue Liner Zach Berzolla for catching one of the entries I’m describing. He must have felt like he ran headfirst into a freight train.)

Other small touches included early exits from the defensive zone when expecting a chip off the boards or a stick-to-stick exit. Over time, he’ll become more comfortable with his teammates and better exits will result, but it’s never a good idea to be over the game when the puck is still in your defending zone. It leads to goals conceded in the NHL.

Summary Thoughts

I feel like I’m being overly critical when describing the areas he needs to improve on.

All things considered, he was the most noticeable, physically dominant and skillful forward in the game. He stood out. He was a runaway.

The game moves fast, and like all NHL players, he’s bound to make mistakes. There isn’t a single player in the league who plays perfect 60 minutes of hockey night after night.

It’s early. This is just the beginning of his journey to the training camp. But to me he looks ready after the NHL.