GOTTA SEE IT: Montreal Canadiens Take Juraj Slafkovsky With No. 1 Pick In 2022 NHL Draft

Watch as Kent Hughes and the Montreal Canadiens announced that they will take Slovakian left-winger Juraj Slafkovsky with the No. 1 pick in the 2022 NHL Draft.

[@jasoncoladonato1034]

Best start to a draft I’ve literally ever seen. And then when Bettman announced the two trades before the 4th pick my god.

[@TheRuz23]

I thought we were trading for Seattle's pick haha imagine getting slaf and wright

[@GreyZonex]

What didnt help Wright was his cockyness .. “i think i will be picked first and i deserve it”.. But, imo, that just shows he will NOT break under pressure. On the contrary, media attention could be his fuel .. like Subban. But lime Subban, such players can be poison in a team if his arrogance and cockiness is not kept in check. I beleive Habs got scared of his personnality .. so they went for Slaf and got Dach as a plan B center who has chances to developp well. Habs did great imo.. but i also beleive Wright will be a great player. Goid luck to these young bloods

[@xboxrules8472]

I saw the draft where Burkie wheeled and dealed and landed both Sedins and that draft was very weak like this one.

[@Oxmosh]

@@GreyZonex did he really say that? where did he, if he did ... jesus

[@rickmartin4886]

@@Oxmosh he did say that.

[@lerobshow6300]

His mother reaction made me cry I'm not gonna lie. That was such a beautiful moment. You can tell the kid have great parents that raised him right. As a Habs fan I'm glad to have him with us.

[@mikef2813]

His dad seemed stoic in comparison to his mom. Lol.

[@lerobshow6300]

@@mikef2813 He seem speechless. My father was the same. He's a man with not much words. The way you see it is how he is

[@silviaodlerart]

it made my cry too😀

[@Phoboska511]

They sacrificed so much for him. They paid for hockey camps as the hockey club in his home town provided no support. They sent him to camps in Austria, Czechia even to Montreal and at the age 14 his dad told him that if he wants to get better, he should try either Finnish os Swedish league so he went to Finnish league on his own. This means everything to his parent, the years of support and sacrifice paid off.

[@kevin2706]

@@Phoboska511 Exactly

[@konskehovno3996]

Historic moment for slovakia hockey 🇸🇰🇸🇰💪

[@SmHy23]

And you deserve it !!

[@araveuG_ehC]

💪🏻💪🏻 let’s go from Sweden 🇸🇪 🇸🇰

[@kaptenmint2138]

And Nemec second. Congrats Slovakia!

[@itzMike7]

First player ever from the finnish league to go 1oa. Congrats!

[@KM-jf8pz]

Thanks everyone, SLOVAKIA is my home 💕

[@FactsMatter]

I absolutely love the moment at @1:05 when he hears "Slovakian National Team" and realizes that it's him. His humility to just be with his parents in that moment says all I need to know about him. What grace. Welcome to the Montreal Canadiens.

[@Zeru.]

Slovak National Team. I hate the adjective "slovakian". But youre right about everything else, just had to point it out lol

[@vincentbarbeau3031]

Real good observation.

[@robrick9361]

@@Zeru. He said Slovakia national team. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slovakia_men%27s_national_ice_hockey_team

[@samuelstrachan2726]

Ya, especially compared to Shane Wright

[@plastique45]

I remember a lot of pseudo-specialist being upset Montreal didn't pick Shane Wright. Slaf is now the consensus best player of that draft.

[@loganleger6642]

Congrats to Slovak hockey. Looking forward to welcoming one of your gems to the Habs

[@quinchienpro-prietaire7409]

two of their gems, maybe more !

[@Phoboska511]

@@quinchienpro-prietaire7409 Next year watch out for Dalibor Dvorský. That kid is so good!

[@rickmartin4886]

@@quinchienpro-prietaire7409 Yes let us not forget Filp Mesar. He will turn out to be a gem by the looks of things! :-)

[@y3ee3e]

hes a beast in less than 2 years. amazing draft pick!!! wright is an ahler and cooley is a pp specialist. what a pick

[@charleskletter8974]

Montreal Canadians handled the draft with class. A class organization. So sad for Bryant Marchant of San Jose Sharks. Beautiful speeches for Mike Bossy and Guy Lafleur.

[@laurentdubois2904]

Don’t know if ur talking about how they organized the draft or how did they do, because as a habs fan, this was a pretty painful night for the whole city, people screaming in the subway, sports restaurant going crazy, booing the gm and our new first overall pick, not really a great night for us.

[@rickmartin4886]

@@laurentdubois2904 You'll find out Slavkovsky was the right choice as early as this Fall but don't expect to see Wright play in the big leagues for a few seasons.

[@user-xg6sx5ev9u]

@@rickmartin4886 wow how did you learn to see in the future like that🤯

[@rickmartin4886]

@@user-xg6sx5ev9u Slav is NHL ready. Wright not so much.

[@charleskletter8974]

@@laurentdubois2904 i was referring to Gary Bettman not showing enough respect to French Canadian people- either speak English or get someone who can translate. He sounded awful. I thought the Montreal handled the draft with class honoring Habs legend Guy Lefleur and hated NY Islander Mike Bossy (Rangers fan here- although I do respect Bossy). The two speakers were great and spoke eloquently. Unfortunately Gary spoke like he had a southern twang with nasal congestion. Now your pick was a bit surprising. I would have liked the Canadiens to pick Shane Wright but the kid due to Covid and a crazy season didn’t perform very well. You needed a center. Don’t forget you have former GM of the Rangers there. Not a good sign. Good luck

[@bison8745]

3:27 Suzuki is like: "Damn i'm gonna have this beast on my line for the next 10 years"

[@richardtlstovic5027]

👍💪🇸🇰😂😂😂

[@joerizzuto7119]

The look of shock when he looks over at his mom.... Priceless

[@TpsTerminator]

Following you since you have 16yo, hoping to draft you since we win the lottery, Juraj Slafkovsky, im proud and overly happy to welcome you in the Montreal Canadiens !

[@silentbydeadly8661]

This is who I would have picked as my first pick of the Draft because he has all the right tools and attitude to perhaps be one of the best in the NHL..

[@AEMoreira81]

The Devils were hoping for him at 2. They ended up with Simon Nemec.

[@silentbydeadly8661]

@@AEMoreira81 Yeah, I wasn't expecting this to happen either. But it's kinda a surprise as to how things happen sometimes.

[@bobmatley]

He is looking real good right now and he was injured last year so basically has about one season in now and on the verge of huge breakout. Next year he should start to become very hard to play against and will still only be 20/21 years old. At 24 years of age only about a dozen defensemen in the league will be able to handle his size.

[@denisabe2654]

we all of us Slovaks are so proud of him ... big congrats 👏👏👏💓💓💓

[@Enerix87]

Suzuki being up on stage only means he is the next 'C' for the habs :)

[@mafmaf6417]

Hope not. I don't think he is ready.

[@joydjinn8692]

@@mafmaf6417 That fair, but at the same time, who else do you see as captain? The little Gally at 6.5M? lol

[@mikefrontera4349]

Why not, he is the heart and soul of this team.

[@atmosfr1650]

@@mikefrontera4349 Gally is done.

[@Galvaxatron]

@@joydjinn8692 I think they should rotate the captaincy for a season. Nothing wrong with that. Not too much pressure on anyone. Will allow the new breed to mature one more season.

[@Fra-dr5tu]

He’s not a bust!

[@mikef2813]

Beautiful moment. This guy is a beast.

[@evamocakova2582]

Good luck, Juraj.. :) we are proud of you.. ❤️👍 greetings from Slovakia

[@lsdboxer935]

I already love his mom and her reaction. He's gonna have an amazing career. He was my pick for months now. And I think he's far better to handle the pressure than Wright.

[@Phoboska511]

It's because they sacrificed so much to get him where he is right now. You see they had to pay for pretty much everything by themselves. They made a crowdfunding with other parents to get their boys to best hockey camps because they had no support form their home hockey teams. He is theirs everything and it's mainly thanks to them he is so humble and down to earth guy.

[@rogerpr364]

I love his mom too!

[@patrickroloff2731]

After the Olympic Games I was like “ Colfield-Suzuki-Slafkovski “ Wright would have been great too. But a guy with 70 games that lud Senior experience including International Tournaments where he stayed his man. That’s the logical choice to me. Go Hab’s Go

[@Phoboska511]

@@patrickroloff2731 Plus he has a great personality. Too bad you don't speak Slovak he can come up with the craziest answers in live interviews 😆

[@vincentbarbeau3031]

@@patrickroloff2731 Good way to analyse that situation.

[@HunterMagunter]

Getting Dach to fill the future 2nd c role and getting Slaf in 1 day was some nice stuff by Hughes

[@matthewminogue3276]

Nothing is guaranteed on Dach being a 2nd line center.... His point production isn't great atm, KK 2.0?

[@HunterMagunter]

@@matthewminogue3276 he's 21 years old lmao

[@matthewminogue3276]

@@HunterMagunter KK is only a year older and the numbers are identical.... Kirby has played with Kane and Debrincat and the numbers are very ordinary.. I'm not sold yet. Don't get hype too fast, the new management hasn't proved anything yet.

[@fransliszt]

Should've learned from Kotkaniemi. Don't draft europeans!!

[@HunterMagunter]

@@matthewminogue3276 it's not hype, dach hasn't been given his proper chances and has dealt with injuries. Isn't a stretch to see him finding his game in montreal where they can offer ice and solid wingers for him. I'd still happily take a 6 foot 4 3c, I'm just not willing to give up on his potential

[@martinamagyarova7674]

I guess the deal breaker was his experience with mens hockey. He is a good guy a will do great in the NHL. Meanwhile Wright has learned his lesson about humbleness :D

[@martinasirillova7391]

Urcite používáte deal breaker správne? Nie je to niečo, na čom vzťah/zmluva skončí?

[@martinamagyarova7674]

@@martinasirillova7391 ano deal breaker pre Canadiens vo vztahu ku Wrightovi bolo ze nehral mužský hokej preto vybrali Slafkovskeho...

[@martinasirillova7391]

@@martinamagyarova7674 OK, vdaka, nepochopila som vás

[@Spot-0n]

Did Wright really learn something? 🤔 I doubt it...

[@Galvaxatron]

Not to take away from Slaf but I think the real deal breaker is that multiple teams became concerned about Wright's attitude/personality during interviews. Wright said he "deserves" to be taken number 1. That sounds like someone who is a little full of himself.

[@TheKid-bf5ob]

MTL draft was incredible! The top 5 was the best I’ve seen in years. Class organization to be fair. Juraj looks like he could be a beast! Good luck

[@Idr000]

Watch liiga next season

[@Idr000]

Tps

[@xboxrules8472]

One of the weakest draft pools I've seen since 1999

[@Idr000]

@@xboxrules8472 ok

[@Idr000]

@@xboxrules8472 but i,m Happy

[@Fredgilb29]

3 teams passed on Wright for a reason. They know stuff we don't. Future will tell I guess but panicking and saying that people needs to gets fired is drama queen behavior.

[@alexcrampton99]

@@French_Canadian_Pea_Soup apparently he's easy to play against on the boards and too nice in the dirty areas. So not enough grit or fight in his game.

[@Fredgilb29]

​@@French_Canadian_Pea_Soup How would I know? They are the ones that interviewed these guys, and Montreal and 2 other teams decided to pass on him. Just trust them for now, only time will tell if they were right or wrong. Panicking now doesn't make any sense. Juraj needs to feel welcomed into Montreal and we need to greet him as such. Trying to spread some hate towards the organisation is just plain stupid.

[@rebeltvr6046]

@@French_Canadian_Pea_Soup High floor, low ceiling.

[@Wiserhuman1]

@@unapologeticOne I don't think it has anything to do with that. Slafkovsky is simply the better player, take a look at some of his highlights he could be a star in the NHL

[@wurekane1]

@@Wiserhuman1 I agree, the kid hasn't played a single NHL game and already has an Olympic MVP award on his resume, ok there were no NHL players in Beijing but it's still very impressive, it's something only the greats can aspire to. I think he's gonna be very good, if he turns in something like a Kaprisov I would be pretty happy, time will tell, but he's certainly no bust like a Kotkaniemi. I like the fact that Montreal also drafted another Slovakian in first round, might be a very good thing, they will complete each other I hope.

[@ScoyGeorge]

Juraj looks like a monster. Good pick! GO HABS GO

[@grayhair13yahoo.comgray21]

That boy will have size!!.. congrats to him and the Habs!!..the hockey mom just at that moment realized all the early practices out of town travels worries of bus trips in all conditions.. Mom and dad are some proud parents..

[@danvass3058]

Juraj is superstar. Jurko nech ti to vyjde. Blahoželám Ti. . Slovakia 👍👍👍

[@darth6237]

co to pises tu 😂

[@slovanplay672]

Perfect Juraj. It is incredible. You deserve that. Po slovensky tomu malo niekto z komentujucich rozumie. Dufam, že sa mu bude darit a velka gratulácia a nech má uspesnu karieru v NHL a potom na MS nech dá zlatý gól.

[@darth6237]

@@slovanplay672 tak tak

[@danvass3058]

@@slovanplay672 Jasné, ja len v krátkosti. Tiež som hrával hokej, chodieval na NHL zápasy. Má veľkú šancu, hlavne v základnej časti,. Základná časť je len divadlo pre divákov, ale niektorý hráči ju berú vážne a dávajú do hokeja všetko, niektorý len korculuju. V play off je to zase o niečom inom

[@slovanplay672]

@@danvass3058 Hrával hokej pekne. To je pravda niektorý to berú príliš vážne ale aj tak sa to ukáže v playoff kto je najlepší alebo má aktuálne najlepšiu formu.

[@zerotaxr8359]

And look at him now, my man Juraj is poppin off with Suzy and Cole. IN SLAF WE TRUST!

[@svntn]

so happy with the moves Hughes made. loved Romy, but getting Dach to complete our foward young guns will be huge in the future. can’t wait

[@MrGabou77]

And we're pretty stacked on the D side as far as prospect go. We'll all miss Romy though.

[@svntn]

@@MrGabou77 exactly. i’m so excited to see what our prospects can bring to the team in the next few years

[@1987snuff]

Slafkovsky - pure goal scorer proven against men, amazing body, personality and skill. Kirby Dach - older and sooner prepared to NHL, still has lot unveiled potential. Wright - never played against men and arrogant... Montreal made amazing picks and trade.

[@hankdasilva3817]

Pure goal scorer who had 5 goals in 31 Liiga games this season?

[@MrSharkFIN]

Not a pure goal scorer at all. He is grest at it however.

[@jurajnovotny4725]

@@hankdasilva3817 in men's league ...

[@hankdasilva3817]

@@jurajnovotny4725 He wasn't the only guy in this draft who played in a men's league. Joakim Kemell played for a weaker team in the same league and scored 15 goals this season, and he fell to 17th. Statistically Slafkovsky had one of the weakest seasons of any player drafted from the Finnish league in the first round. In their draft years Patrik Laine had 17 goals, Aleksander Barkov had 21 goals, Kaapo Kakko had 22 goals, Jesperi Kotkaniemi had 10 goals, Mikko Rantanen had 9 goals, Mikael Granlund had 13 goals, Jesse Puljujärvi had 13 goals etc. and none of those guys were selected 1st overall.

[@1987snuff]

@@hankdasilva3817 Slafkovsky was 4th liner before olympic games not able to show what he can do on the ice. On olympic games he started 4th line and proceeded to 1st. MVP between best men outside of the NHL. Back in the Liiga he was given also more icetime and his productivity increased. On world championship he also belonged to the best on the tournament. Beside of the statistics watch him play and compare numbers before olympic games and after that. Also he made HUGE progress in his game and still is only 18 and I'm pretty sure he will start next season in the Habs 3rd line. This boy is future NHL star there's no doubt about it.

[@ephraim1080]

Congratulations to the Montreal canadiens you guys have a super team with Great GM and Super Smart Coach ST Louis Martin

[@Truthspeakeralways]

Thank you 🥰

[@hruski4041]

This is a big moment in Slovak hokey History 🇸🇰

[@AlexAnteroLammikko]

Congrats.

[@TaigaShaman]

His mom is so happy for him ❤️

[@iReAcTiveZz]

this kid will be a powerhouse! a big power forward is definitely what Montreal needed!

[@thatbillionairesvibe]

Already had that with anderson though

[@ShaneLavigne-ke2rh]

He's better than Anderson go HABS

[@kokop1408]

Brutál veľa zdravíčka a užívaj si radosti hokeja🇸🇰💪

[@cbenzee3803]

NHL, Slovakia nation and Slovakian Hockey history made! Congratulations! 🇨🇦 🇸🇰

[@Zeru.]

*Slovak

[@cbenzee3803]

@@Zeru. I should have known that, thank you!

[@lethanosjames2976]

Future superstar

[@robsenz.]

I'm a sens fan, and I'm happy for Montreal, seems like a genuine kid, love the look of suprise when they said his name

[@gerardvinet8448]

Hope to see the Sens , get their pick , it will help boost their up & coming franchise , and give the Leafs & Habs some more headaches !!!

[@weewouclaps]

Thanks man, sens are looking pretty freaken solid, its the toughest division in the east

[@porsrodriguez8285]

Juraj Slafkovsky feels like a legend already, go Habs!

[@slovanplay672]

Amazing and incrible for Juraj and all hockey Slovakia. I m so proud of him and i really enjoy it because i m from Slovakia.

[@reversalstudio]

i dont care what people say ....he will be great for the team...hope for the best.....

[@HunterMagunter]

Hes been looking great lately

[@FullyMelanin]

im still stunned about Dach! what a pick up!!

[@charlesbaha5298]

Gave up too much

[@PurpleIsBored]

@@charlesbaha5298 Hardly

[@s.p.8508]

@@charlesbaha5298 you think you gave up too much? We gave up our 13th pick for your 13 point defensemen. You at least got a former 3rd overall pick who has oodles of potential still.

[@greywolf0167]

As a Leafs fan i am jealous....congratz on a great pick Montreal....congratz on the hard work young man....its a great fit.

[@Truthspeakeralways]

Thank you 🥰

[@crazydj9739]

no reason to be jealous you guys got Matthews! :)

[@crazydj9739]

also Matthew Knies coming

[@MrGabou77]

As much as I like to chirp against Toronto, I was rooting for you guys against TB and honestly it was so close that you could easily have won that series. Marner showed that he could raise his game a notch in the playoffs, really impressed me compared to last year vs us.

[@samuel_338]

Wright was overhyped by everyone, just because you are Canadian doesn't mean you are going to be automatic 1st pick, talent prevailed and Juraj deserves this

[@ev4231]

Agreed he had 94 points in the ohl , that too low

[@macrost8935]

@@ev4231 Yeah, having 10 points in 30 games is much better, especially when he had been active to year prior, but your right, 1.5 points per game is wayyy too low, 0.3 tho, thats perfect

[@GoatzelEnjoyer]

@@macrost8935 Imagine if Slafkovsky played against kids. And you dont know nothing about hockey if u look at points.

[@samuel_338]

@@macrost8935 stats idiots, stats idiots everywhere, watch him play and you'll change your mind, until then = opinion rejected

[@filiplajstrik9025]

@@ev4231 “bUT bUt loOk aT thE pOinTs!! 😡” ma man wright was literally playin against kids 💀 Stop with that BS man i cant take u serious

[@LETZGONHLdraft]

big props for Savoie and all those other draft prospects prepared to congratulate him if Slafkovsky came their way

[@CanadianSniperhockey]

He’s gonna be the best player from this draft

[@sb0182]

Him (Slafs), Cooley & Frank Nazar will be the best players of this draft. Also the two Swedes Noah Ostlund & Jonathan Lekkerimaki.

[@silviaodlerart]

INCREDIBLE MOMENT ALSO FOR US FROM SLOVAKIA.Emotional.Huge future at the front of him! Going to be a big shining star!

[@MrGabou77]

Congrats on a great hockey year. 1-2 punch at the NHL draft and Olympic medal. Amazing year. Let's not forget Mesar going in the first round too!

[@DANNY40379]

Holy smokes there are some real lookers in Juraj's family(!) this kid reminds me so much of a hockey version of Ronaldo haha, best of luck to him! Welcome to the Habs!

[@otaviofrn_adv]

if he scores as much and is as clutch as Ronaldo was in his Real Madrid days, Montreal is set for a long time

[@MrGabou77]

@@otaviofrn_adv Judging by how he played at the Olympics and WC, I'm very optimistic.

[@otaviofrn_adv]

@@MrGabou77 and with reason

[@asleeposprey7479]

People have been living under a rock. Wright was overhyped he didnt have a good season whereas slafkovsky had a really good season and impressed when he represented his country

[@jim6503]

A really good season? Whattt. Are you talking about his Liiga numbers?! I mean I love Slafkovski but he's a big bet. Wright is underated imo, we'll see he was drafted 4th after all but he missed 1 season of hockey.

[@tchevrier]

wright was not impressive at the world junior tournament. Ok it was only 2 games but, he was invisible.

[@jim6503]

@@tchevrier Same could be said for Suzuki, world junior doesn't mean everything too man. There's a lot of players that had a good tournament and didn't even make the NHL.

[@jim6503]

@@tchevrier Kakko isn't a bust but he is far from being the elite kind of player...

[@tchevrier]

@@jim6503 I'm not saying that it does. I'm saying that I was not impressed with his performance at the world junior tournament.

[@davidlafleur117]

Tres content pour la sélection du canadiens je souhaite que slafkovsky connaisse beaucoup de succès dans la ligue nationale de hockey avec le canadiens

[@nick-rv5gh]

Being a montreal fan im really happy about this pick

[@op2633]

Captain Nick Suzuki welcoming his new winger

[@thomaslabelle3093]

Jagr praised Slafkovsky so I'm not worried about the pick of the canadiens here.

[@Information2206]

What a great night! Welcome to Mtl Juraj!

[@Servant__of__Allah]

Beautiful moment!

[@VivecsTDawg]

Awesome. Lots of reports of wright being difficult to deal with and has an attitude, sounding more like an Eichel. Probably why he slid down to 4th overall. Great for Slovak patriots!

[@patbl61]

Did you see the stare down he gave to the Montreal table when he got drafted? I think Montreal dodged a bullet

[@jangofatt7135]

Teams are finally starting to learn the attitude matters. If only Edmonton understood that in 2012.

[@NobleSeek3R]

@@jangofatt7135 I would rather have someone with in attitude then someone who gets affected by it. Most of the best players and coaches of the world have in attitude its not necessarily bad only in some cases it depends how you view it.

[@Galvaxatron]

@@patbl61 Plus he kept saying he "deserves" to be drafted #1.

[@foxnetsov]

Stop talking out of your ass, my barbers sister was wrights billet family and they’ve had nothing but good things to say about him. He didn’t perform well in his draft year and that’s why he dropped to number 4, anyone in the Kingston area that has watched him live, knew he was struggling and just didn’t perform well

[@jerryczech953]

Juraj really has a potencial to ve close to JAGR .....not kidding here ...generational talent ...you be thankfull to Hugnes for this in years to come HABS FANS ..

[@66sixthsense]

from Slovak TV .... Habs have a new thousends fans 🙂.... really have ..... Slovakia love hockey and Juraj ...... get to Juraj free hands and you will see... all the best to Montreal

[@MrGabou77]

The people of the province of Quebec have a special place in their heart for the Stastny brothers, so we have a long tradition of loving great Slovak hockey players. Hopefully Juraj and Filip can be the next generation to shine in the NHL here. Congrats on an amazing hockey year. 1-2 punch at the NHL draft (and Mesar a bit later) and an Olympic medal. Amazing!

[@Acoustical12]

his mom is a proud mama :3

[@ZombieJeezus420]

one day he will be our Captain

[@shrncirikova]

i think so

[@eugenemaverique9352]

Удачи Юраю в Монреале! Отличный выбор!

[@gocharules]

Just observations from the draft from scouts and players themselves I think Montreal got this right and Shawn Right is lucky to go to Seattle because all he has to do is prove people wrong without having a lot of pressure on the young kid and he will definitely get a real shot with Kraken without having to play in a pressure cooker setting like Montréal .

[@ontaime3444]

Extremely Proud 👏 Yessir Tabarnak

[@gerardvinet8448]

Great choice , welcome to the youth line in Montreal , Juraj .Finally a great wristhand shooter , with great moves , similar to Caulfield .

[@zjean3417]

The main difference is Slafkovsky being 6'4 and 40+ pounds heavier than Caufield. Slafkovsky is going to be a beast on the ice!

[@GreyZonex]

@@zjean3417 dont underestimate small players.. Fleury back in the day .. Martin St-Louis .. both played in an era where it was even harder for small players to reach greatness .. Also, with his size and speed, Caufield will be a PP magnet. He will give us so many PP.. I’m just excited to see them both pkay on same line, tbh ! ;)

[@gerardvinet8448]

@@GreyZonex It's going to be hot this summer , and even hotter , next season in the Bell Centre , lol .

[@MrGabou77]

Caufield still has a better shot. Juraj can shoot, but I think the Olympic skewed the perception of what he truly is in many people's eyes. He's more of a playmaker than a sniper. Which is kinda ridiculously rare on a player with a power forward frame. His primary strengths are his puck protection and carrying skills and he's got good passing instincts, even if he still attempts a lot of risky passes, because you want that in a young player, you want them to experiment and try stuff to develop their game, learn where their limits are. With him and Suzuki to set him up, Caufield is gonna be a 40-50 goal scorer before long.

[@Xylo58]

Suzuki and Caulfield / Dach and Slaf.. the future looks bright 👍

[@ivetakocakova3648]

Gratulujem prajem veľa šťastia Juraj 🇸🇰🇸🇰🇸🇰

[@kenryu364]

His mom is the real MVP

[@sav304]

She’s fkn hot, you’re Wright.

[@emile_landry]

He’s the mvp too bruh look at him he’s very good looking 💀

[@Rod83]

Finally the canadian draft a real solid player!!

[@Taooflu]

I was surprised like many but with each passing hour I’m starting to believe this was the best pick. Tell ya one think they picked the most handsome guy, time will tell for the rest lol Lastly, any doubt Suzuki will be named captain ?

[@NiftyKR]

Id like them to play most of the season to see who gets the C. I'm very excited how this core if coming together.

[@AKAKATTACK_YT]

I think Suzy will get C this season :)

[@stonefaced4578]

Suzuki hasn’t earned captain yet. Gally has been with the team for 10 seasons.

[@hypehky5326]

Gallahger

[@angryassyrian5627]

@@stonefaced4578 exactly, I think Gallagher was the only person on the team besides Shea Weber who deserved to be captain, and now that Weber is unfortunately gone I think Gally is the right call. The captain doesn't have to be the best offensive player on the team, I think Gally is a natural leader.

[@julien7337]

Lmao. Anything that makes the hockey world lose its mind is a W in my book. Plus this player ain't half bad

[@bassandgrass567]

Yes I love it when everybody acts like they know what they’re talking about and know what players are going to become good like lmao

[@kodalycat906]

Damn, no kidding. Remember the (over)reaction a couple yrs ago when Mtl picked Caufield? "They got another smurf?" "Will get manhandled, taken off the puck etc." "No way he becomes an effective scorer during reg. season, never mind the playoffs". Yeah, no kidding.

[@reversalstudio]

i believe in slaf i believe he wants to win and will do the best he can...go back at 1.00 when mr hughes switches to french and look at the player's faces...of the 3 only slaf has a reaction like wo im impressed this is huge this is important....no comparison possible with kotkaniemi...and talking about players with heart after all maybe subban should have stayed with the habs....who knows...

[@alexandremarier-verret3220]

Who's back here after Slaffy's first Hat-trick?

[@ianrichards7478]

oh man i am from the UK so i get to watch alot of euro hockey and oh man he looks insane i trulyt mean that and u know what i think he will be in the nhl as soon as december/january

[@ignacbaliar7295]

👌❤️👌❤️👌❤️MÁME TO ĎURI SI JEDNOTKA UŽ TI TO NIKDO NEZOBERE A BUDEŠ VEĽKÝ HRÁČ.

[@weatherchaser1166]

The look on the kids face when the word Slovakian was said......

[@7Lidl]

That's huge!!!! Wow!!! Bratia zo Slovenska veľka gratuľacia!!!!

[@FightingForceSoulless]

Well, that's a surprise. I think he deserved to be #1, but it's not common, NHL teams drafting European guys before Canadian/USA talent early in the draft. Still, I think our country will be very proud of both him and Nemec, we've never had a #1 before, now we have a #1 and a #2. A few years ago, our youth wasn't looking good, and the men's hockey team nearly got relegated to the B-division, that year we only won one match, against Italy, in OT. Five or six years later, and we won an olympic medal, which is absolutely insane, and now these two guys are gonna put Slovakia back on the hockey map. Very proud ♥

[@giampaolofini1535]

I don't think there's a bias depending on which continent the player is from, if there is it might be the two biggest 1OA busts in the last 20 years being Stefan and Yakupov. 3 of the last 5 1OA were Euros (Hischier, Dahlin, Slaf). If there was going to be a bias here it would be Montreal taking a French Canadian born player if there was one anywhere near the top 5, no matter their needs at positions (Imagine the hysteria if Lafreniere was available in this draft,) but that's a Quebec thing. Slafkovsky proved to be ready to play with men when he won olympic mvp while he was 17. Players of his size, with decent feet and good hands and offensive instincts don't come around often. Lindros was the most hyped generational talent after Gretz and Mario, and Slafkov has the same size and nose for the net as 88. As for Nemec, I haven't seen anything that makes me think he's as athletically gifted, but after only an elite goalie, and generational talent two-way center, the steady, mobile, puck-moving D-man (especially if they are right-side shots) is the most coveted thing at the drafts or trade deadlines.

[@mickeymoose88]

Welcome to MTL!!!

[@chrisbelos2834]

The Juraj Era has already begun. he was MVP for the 2022 olympics while Slovakia finished 3rd. he's that stud.

[@rgood1204]

Great there, but averaged less points in the FEL than Barkov, Rantanen, Laine, and yes KK. We will see.

[@rower1698]

@@rgood1204 You mean he scored less points in a highly defensive Finnish league? Would love to see Wright's points in Liiga

[@manu-animation-924]

He performed well only against team France, Italy, Kazakhstan team with nothing to offer and played very bad against team like Sweden, Canada, US

[@rower1698]

@@manu-animation-924 You obviously didnt watch worlds and you obviously havent seen his olympic performance. Wright has only played against kids in his league and was predicted to be no. 1 because of that? You must be dreaming

[@rgood1204]

@@rower1698 - Don't shoot the messenger for pointing out certifiable facts. He scored less than KK in the same league.

[@Slam-]

Excited to watch this kid play!

[@brianferris7859]

Cooley “oh my” He wasn’t expecting it whatsoever

[@irvinepoker3187]

lmao ''oh my ''

[@johnnyjazz5413]

honestly sad to say but i think he wished he would of gotten drafted 4th... nobody wants to get drafted by arizona or buffalo its just facts...

[@rebeltvr6046]

@@johnnyjazz5413 Good point.

[@quinchienpro-prietaire7409]

@@johnnyjazz5413 yeah he was visibly shaken walking to the podium

[@MrGabou77]

"oh my god" is what he says, you hear it clearly in the "Welcome to the NHL" documentary that the NHL put out. (highly recommend if you're reading this, very nicely done and gives a look behind the scene of this year's draft.

[@AKAKATTACK_YT]

U do love to see the parents reaction

[@Nick-ky5yn]

Kent came out swinging. Love it. I’ll take Dach and Juraj over Wright any day.

[@adam.vision]

100%

[@Tanmoy49]

The question isn’t Juraj+Dach > Wright, it’s whether or not Juraj+Dach > Wright+ Lekkerimaki/Kemmel/Nazar. And I think Wright is significantly better than Dach. And I think the gap between Slaf and those wingers isn’t very much. I think this was a mistake

[@ShabbsArt]

@@Tanmoy49 won't know until at least 3 years from now

[@Tanmoy49]

@@ShabbsArt the only thing we know is that Dach isn’t worth a 13th overall pick. Imagine Chicago, a team that’s going into a rebuild, trading a 3rd overall pick who’s also 21 years old and playing on their top line with Kane and DeBrincat. There’s no reason why any team would trade a player like that if they were great or if the team believed they had promise. This seemed like a desperation trade for the Habs for not picking Wright.

[@rickymainville5590]

Got to ad Romanov with Wright tough 🤷

[@vinnie2033]

He looks good in bleu, blanc and rouge

[@wickedcanadiangaming761]

Dudes a monster

[@mikaelrg1174]

Bienvenue au Québec❤️

[@stevopolgar567]

Juraj všetko dobré veľa najazdených kilometrov po ľadovej ploche v NHL 👍👍👍👏👏👏

[@NiftyMitts.]

I dunno what it is but his reaction to being picked first tells me he’s going to be a superstar, from a leafs fan.

[@licmysak7842]

Suzuki Caufield and Slafkovsky on the same line 🔥🔥🔥

[@NiftyMitts.]

@@licmysak7842 beauty

[@MrGabou77]

Yeah, he's got an easy and natural charm and confidence, without being cocky. He will be a god in Montreal.

[@garybettman7026]

Wow I look so handsome! Congrats to this young man. - Gary.

[@AKAKATTACK_YT]

...

[@jonah.donohue]

Petr calling u rn

[@plainbagel9192]

Slafkovsky-Suzuki-Caufield , if this gels mtl could have one hell of a first line

[@Tanmoy49]

You don’t win cups with one good line. Montreal has terrible centre depth, and all good teams that win cups have amazing top 6 centre depth (Crosby/Malkin, Stamkos/Point, MacKinnon/Kadri, Backstrom/Kuznetsov, etc). Suzuki is a great top 6 centre, and Dach isn’t, neither is Evans or Poehling or Dvorak.

[@thatjdmfd]

@@Tanmoy49 We're still rebuilding bud. We're not going for the cup this next season. I wouldn't be surprised if we finished at the bottom again this year, which I really wouldn't mind with Bedard coming up. The purpose of the trades and the pick today is not to win the cup, but to START building that depth. Also, given how Romanov has developed so far and with the upcoming defensive youngsters in the Canadiens, his loss isn't as bad as it may seem.

[@Tanmoy49]

@@thatjdmfd again, I didn’t complain about Romanov OR about tanking next year? I mentioned the need for strong centre depth. Wright + Suzuki would have been solid centre depth for the next decade and a half as rheum develop togerher. With the 13th pick, instead of trading it for an underperforming player like Dach, to use it on a high-potential elite winger like Lekkerimaki/Kemmel/Nazar, would have been arguably far better for the Habs. Imagine Suzuki-Caufield and Wright-Lekkerimaki/Kemmel/Nazar on the top 2 lines. And that’s not to mention next years draft where they could arguably get a Bedard, Michkov, or Fantilli to fill out the remainder of the top 6. Overall, it would have been better for the future to get the two-way centre and get an elite centre with the Islanders pick, rather than getting an elite winger with the 1OA and trading the 13th pick for an underwhelming centre.

[@TheMaestro116]

@@Tanmoy49 Thats where Bedard/Fantili comes in.

[@Tanmoy49]

@@TheMaestro116 if that’s where Bedard and Fantilli come in, then why waste the 13OA on Kirby Dach instead of getting another amazing winger. That’s exactly my point. Imagine Lekkerimaki/Nazar/Kemmel-Bedard-XXX Slafkovsky-Suzuki-Caufield As your top 6, that makes so much more sense than having one less elite winger and having a sub-par centre in Dach who would be a 3C vs drafting a 1st line winger.

[@macrost8935]

I gotta put myself on the spot here, but wanting Wright back then I didn't fully appreciate that draft, but what a pick, Slaf is gonna be amazing

[@TonkyTube]

It was the right call.

[@nolananderson4782]

Can't wait to see him stand next to Caufield, that should be fun

[@MrGabou77]

I'm trying to get the Russian Doll line name to stick for the Slaf-Suzuki-Caufield line. 😂

[@michalvaclavik6241]

That guy is a beast. Crazy Montreal fans wants Wright because he is Canadian but i think GM know why he choose Juraj.

[@muffinknight8101]

Habs fans want Wright because he is better

[@TheMaestro116]

That's probably because the media has been feeding them about Shane Wright all season long while Slaf was relatively unknown at the beginning of the NHL season. Lots of Habs fans have come around Slafkovsky now that they know more about him, about what he's accomplished so far as an 18 year old and what he could potentially accomplish throughout his career. He's the one with the higher ceiling for sure.

[@PD-qs6rp]

@@muffinknight8101 lol

[@BenDover-vs7ih]

Kids going to be the best player in the draft. Canadians made the right choice.

[@frankthetank3318]

mmm a big S on his jersey and the superman theme would've been nice but ok i guess... his mom though she seemed both proud and honored at the same time

[@SmoothOperator2013]

It's good to see that Jimmy from the Sopranos didn't in fact die but became a vp of hockey operations.

[@joshuaburke5674]

Great moment!

[@romainlavoie1526]

This is fantastic and an excellent selection for my CANADIENS !!! I

[@danielfchen8895]

I’m a little surprised at this pick but then again we got Dach!!!

[@ROCKETS2965]

Cooley literally mouths, "Oh my God", as they made the pick LOL.

[@nikshill8767]

the only thing that worries me about Slafkovsky is that he seemed to brush right past Suzuki in the handshake line. Suzuki has earned respect from teammates past present or future

[@MrGabou77]

You're reading waaay too much into this... he was going down the line just shaking hands before going back for the picture. If you listen to him in interviews, he's super humble and chill, he'll get along great with Suzuki and Caufield. Three good kids without big egos who just love hockey. Future looks bright in Montreal, just need to be patient with them.