The Montreal Canadiens had the luxury of owning the first round of the 2022 National Hockey League (NHL) draft and he set his sights on Juraj Slafkovsky on Thursday night at the Bell Center.
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The suspense continued until the very last minute, when general manager Kent Hughes and his team seemed to have long hesitated between Slafkovsky and centers Shane Wright and Logan Cooley.
Slafkovsky was one of the headliners of this amateur auction recently, when he surprised the entire hockey world at the Beijing Olympics tournament in 2022, with seven goals in as many games for Slovakia.
The 18-year-old left winger is a true power forward, boasting a frame of 6’4″, 229 lbs. Many Canadiens fans have long dreamed of seeing him complete a line with Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield.
With the TPS of Turku, in the Finnish Elite League, Slafkovsky amassed 10 points in 31 games. He did even better in the playoffs with seven points in 18 games.
Upon his arrival on the red carpet near the Bell Center, the Slovak had been booed by some supporters eager to see the Habs turn to Wright. He is the fastest drafted player from his country, beating Marian Gaborik’s record third in 2000.
We have to go back to 1980 to see the Canadian select one last time in the first round. At the time, the Bleu-Blanc-Rouge chose Doug Wickenheiser, a player who didn’t break anything in the NHL.
Shane Wright glisse
With the second choice, that of the New Jersey Devils, a second Slovak was selected. Defender Simon Nemec, author of a good season with Nitra, in his native country, was the chosen player.
Despite Wright’s availability as a center player, another center, Logan Cooley, was chosen by the Arizona Coyotes. Wright was nevertheless chosen in the next round, the fourth, by the Seattle Kraken.
Tributes
As usual, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman was greeted by boos from the crowd. He went to a few words in French to welcome the supporters, remaining confused by the ire of the fans towards him.
Prior to the Canadiens’ selection, a tribute was paid to the memory of Bryan Marchment, a former National League defenseman who became a scout for the San Jose Sharks. The 53-year-old man was found dead in his Montreal hotel room on Wednesday.
Martin Lafleur and Tanya Bossy were invited to the stage alongside the commissioner to remember the passing of their illustrious fathers earlier in April, Guy Lafleur and Mike Bossy.
The head coach of the CH, Martin St-Louis, meanwhile went there with an interesting wink by mentioning that it was his first appearance in the repechage in 47 years. Recall that all the formations of the circuit had raised their noses at the auction vis-à-vis the candidacy of the former striker of the Tampa Bay Lightning, more than 25 years ago.
