“He’s an elite player by the boards where his puck protection ability has drawn comparisons to Jaromir Jagr.” – Western Conference Scout, Elite Prospects If the Olympics was any indication, he’s worth taking a waiver on. Where some have him as a top-10 pick, it wouldn’t be a stretch to see Slafkovsky as a top-five - even top-three - pick in the draft. His size and strength will be a huge asset to any team that takes him and the offensive pedigree will only further develop with time. Denton Mateychuk Juraj Slafkovsky – NHL Draft ProjectionĪs mentioned, the Olympics played a role in boosting Slafkovsky’s stock as did his promotion to the Liiga.While the production has dropped offensively with TPS, he still has 10 points in 31 games and is holding his own against players much older than him. His strength and puck-protection were well beyond his years and while there are some small areas that will progress with big-league development, Slafkovsky’s stock jumped with his play this season.ĭon’t forget, prior to jumping to Finland’s Liiga with TPS, Slafkovsky was averaging 1.64 points per game with the under-20 team. While the Olympics may have been a short tournament and we can’t solely base our analysis on those games, Slafkovsky’s maturity in his game was overwhelming not to mention it. Call it a mean streak, but Slafkovsky’s size and physical edge makes him arguably one of the more dominant players in this draft - especially coming right out of the draft. He has the potential to grow into a legitimate power forward by definition with his high-end offensive skill and his ability to engage in a big way physically. Oh, and did we mention he also won the MVP award at the Olympics as well?Īs for what he brings with his game, he’s a big kid at six-foot-four and around 220 pounds. As for Slafkovsky, he finished with seven goals in seven games at the Olympics - an impressive run for the youngster in his draft year.
The nearly 18-year-old scored twice in the bronze medal game as the Slovaks defeated Sweden to capture its first medal in men’s hockey at the Olympics. Well, 2021-22 came with opportunity for the young Slovak who saw time with the big club in the Liiga, suiting up for TPS, as well as a chance to wear his country’s colours when he played a major role for Slovakia at the Winter Olympic Games in Beijing. He has a high upside, but could he get it done on the big stage and do it consistently. To start the year, many had Juraj Slafkovsky somewhere in the six to 12 range in the first round. D obber Prospects Mid-Season Rankings: 14th.Bob McKenzie’s Mid-Season Rankings: 5th.Matthew Zator’s February Rankings: 6th.NHL Central Scouting: 2nd (among EUR skaters).NHL Draft Eligibility: 2022 first-year eligible Rankings