Buffalo, N.Y. (WGR 550) – After two years off due to COVID-19, the NHL Scouting Combine returned to Buffalo this week. All 32 teams met with players all week long, and then wrapped things up with testing on Friday and Saturday.
Three different players have been mentioned as being a possibility to go first overall in this year’s draft in Montreal.
The Montreal Canadiens have the No. 1 pick, and, at first, it seemed like Shane Wright was the consensus top player, but Juraj Slafkovský and Logan Cooley have made up ground. Any of the three could be chosen by the Habs.
Wright was quoted as saying he’s worked hard enough to be taken first overall, but that made Slafkovský laugh.
“That’s what he thinks! I think something else," he said with a smile still on his face.
Montreal took Wright and Cooley out for a big dinner, but Slafkovský thinks he made a better impression in his meeting with the Habs in Buffalo.
“I didn’t have the dinner, but I think the talk we had was, to me, tested better than dinner,” he said with a wry smile.
That, of course, got a big laugh around the room.
Slafkovský's stock went up during the 2022 Winter Olympics when he played for Slovakia and former Buffalo Sabres forwards Craig Ramsay (head coach) and Miro Satan (general manager). The 18-year-old led all goal scorers at the Olympics, helping Slovakia to a surprising bronze medal.
At last month’s World Championship, his scoring continued for Slovakia, netting three goals and six assists for nine points in eight games.
It was easy to see the elite talent he possesses in those two tournaments, but when he played professionally this season for TPS Turku of the Finnish Liiga, he only had five goals and five assists for 10 points in 31 games.
When he played for TPS' U20 team, the numbers popped again with six goals and 12 assists for 18 points in 11 games played.
Slafkovský is proud of his pro season with TPS, and isn’t the least bit concerned that the numbers weren’t there.
“It’s all about the freedom and the trust I get from the coach of the National Team. Then in TPS, it’s a lot about the style," Slafkovský said. "If you watch the games with TPS, it’s a lot of defending. It’s also boring to watch, but it’s not an excuse. I should score more, but I’m OK with how my season ended, and I can build from that to be a solid hockey player.”
Wright played for the Kingston Frontenacs of the Ontario Hockey League, while Cooley was with the U.S. National Team Development Program team in the United States Hockey League. Slafkovský thinks playing professionally and with the Slovakian National Team makes him better prepared.
“I played men's and they played junior, and it’s a little bit better preparation, in my opinion, to play men's in two levels," Slafkovský said. "I feel like I’m pretty prepared, and I know how it works in the men's leagues.”
Slafkovský was very engaging when he spoke on Friday. He did stay for Saturday, but didn’t test because his season just ended.
Slafkovský's development has been amazing in the past year.
“A lot of it was about the confidence, because I knew I could play hockey before, but I just didn’t show it," Slafkovský said. "At the Olympics, my confidence was pretty high, so it was more about that I needed to trust myself more.”
Ramsay played all 1,070 games of his NHL career with the Sabres. He only played 19 AHL games before coming up for good, and was quietly one of the best defensive forwards this league has ever seen. He constantly battled Bob Gainey of Montreal for the Selke Trophy.
Slafkovský said Ramsay is successful with the Slovakian National Team because of one trait that he has.
“He’s a very calm guy," Slafkovský said. "In Slovakia, we are stressful people. We stress a lot, and he’s always calm and smiling. That’s what I feel like we needed.”
Slafkovský compares himself to Mikko Rantanen of the Colorado Avalanche, because he said they’re both tall and play the same style like driving the net. If he were taken No. 1, he says it would have meaning for more than just him.
“For me personally, it would mean a lot, because that’s what I worked for every day since I was five. But for Slovakia, I think it would be a big impact," Slafkovský said. "A lot of young players that are thinking if they should continue or should they stop and do something else, I think it would help them think that maybe they could do the same. It would be good for Slovak hockey all around.”
Just to give you a comparison, Satan played 1,050 games and scored 363 goals in the NHL. He was taken in the fifth round of the 1993 NHL Draft by the Edmonton Oilers.
The Sabres would have to trade up to get a shot at Slafkovský, as Buffalo holds the ninth, 16th and 28th overall picks.
Round 1 of the 2022 NHL Draft takes place on Thursday, July 7, while Round 2-7 will take place on Friday, July 8.
