Juraj Slafkovský

Slafkovský first left home at the age of 14 to train at Red Bull's ice hockey academy in Austria. After months spent there and in the Czech Republic competing against older teenagers, he moved to Finland's HC TPS, seeking a higher class of competition. Slafkovský played three seasons with TPS's team in the Finnish junior league, before making his debut in the Liiga for the 2021–22 season. His debut in the senior men's ranks was initially inauspicious, recording only one goal in his first 20 games. After returning from his star turn at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Slafkovský's play improved noticeably, and he finished the regular season with five goals and five assists. He went on to record two goals and five assists in 18 playoff games.[6] TPS advanced to the Finals, but lost to Tappara in five games.[4]

Slafkovský was eligible for the 2022 NHL Entry Draft, and by the mid-season assessment was being cited as a potential top five selection, in particular on the strength of his international performances. The presumptive first overall pick at the beginning of the season, Shane Wright of the Ontario Hockey League's (OHL) Kingston Frontenacs, was judged by many as having "left the door open for someone to unseat him" after a subpar start.[7] As the draft approached, Slafkovský had emerged as Wright's primary challenger, and topped a number of rankings by scouts and commentators.[8][9][10] The first overall pick was won by the Montreal Canadiens, whose general manager, Kent Hughes, confirmed days before the draft that the choice was between Slafkovský, Wright and Logan Cooley of the USNTDP.[11]

On 7 July 2022, the Canadiens used the first overall pick to select Slafkovský. He became the highest-drafted Slovak player in the history of the NHL, surpassing Marián Gáborík, who was taken third overall in 2000. As well, with defenceman Šimon Nemec selected second overall by the New Jersey Devils, this was only the second time in history that a single European country had the top two selections in a single draft (after Russia in 2004). The Canadiens also selected Filip Mešár, another Slovak player and longtime friend of Slafkovský's, later in the first round.[1] Six days after the draft, Slafkovský signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Canadiens.[12]

Upon arrival in Montreal he found that his preferred no. 20 jersey number, which he had used with the Slovak national team, was already in use by defenceman Chris Wideman. However, Wideman agreed to cede the number to Slafkovský in exchange for an autographed jersey as a keepsake for his newborn son.[13] His performance in the pre-season games was a subject of considerable media interest, with Sportsnet saying he "at times appeared out of his element," but Hughes stated "we've seen the start of a process of adjusting from hockey in Europe to hockey in North America." The general manager indicated that Slafkovský would be given the opportunity to develop with the Canadiens, though there was a possibility of him spending time with the team's American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate Laval Rocket.[14] On 10 October 2022, it was confirmed that he had made the Canadiens' opening night roster for the regular season.[15] He appeared in his first NHL game on 12 October, a 4–3 victory over their traditional archrival the Toronto Maple Leafs.[16] In his fifth game with the team on 20 October, Slafkovský scored his first goal in the NHL during a 6–2 rout of the Arizona Coyotes.[17] After missing three games with an unspecified upper body injury, Slafkovský returned to the lineup on 29 October and was placed on the power play for the first time, where he scored his first power play goal (and second NHL goal) that same night against the St. Louis Blues.[18] After boarding the Detroit Red Wings' forward Matt Luff in a 8 November game, he was suspended for two games by the NHL.[19] After sustaining a knee injury in a 15 January 2023 game against the New York Rangers, the Canadiens announced that Slafkovský would be out for three months, likely bringing his season to an end.[20]