It was quite a surprise in July 2022 when the Montreal Canadiens took the stage at the Bell Center and announced that they had selected Juraj Slafkovsky with the first overall pick in the draft.
Shane Wright was widely seen as the top candidate, with Logan Cooley not far behind, but Montreal passed both by: he trusted his gut and made the unexpected choice, and the decision paid off big time.
Slafkovsky’s rookie season was a struggle, and both he and the Canadiens received criticism – not just locally, but from the hockey world at large. Over the next two seasons, however, he began to silence many of those doubters, and now in year four, he has only continued to rise and take his game to another level.
In just 46 games, Slafkovsky has already buried 17 goals along with 21 assists for 38 points, leaving him just three goals and 13 points shy of his career highs with 36 games left to play. It’s safe to say he’ll surpass those totals with ease, especially considering his recent surge– producing a pace better than a point per game over his last 24 games.
Many are still trying to knock on Montreal’s door, but at this point it’s becoming impossible to deny that Slafkovsky has been (and will continue to be) one of the most skilled forwards in the game for years. His rare blend 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 in his class?
Very few players from the 2022 draft class can be mentioned in the same breath as Slafkovsky given his impact and production early in his career. That said, there are a few that stack up close, if not better.
The aforementioned Cooley has showcased his elite skills 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. As impressive as those performances have been, the strongest case might come from Slafkovsky’s own teammate: Lane Hutson, who has already established himself as one of the NHL’s best defensemen and looks like an absolute steal as a second-round pick (62nd overall).
You could argue that one of these three – or all – could end up being better than Slafkovsky. But given the way things turned 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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