Juraj Slafkovský: ‘He’s better when you let him breathe’

MONTREAL | “With our No. 1 pick, the No. 1 pick of the 2022 NHL Draft, the Montreal Canadiens are proud to draft from the Slovakia National Team and Turku TPS, Juraj Slafkovský. »

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Chapter 1

There was nothing trivial with this presentation of Kent Hughes for the top of the class in the repechage in Montreal. The general manager of CH presented his jewel as a product of the Slovak formation before identifying it by his main team in Finland.

Hughes thus deviated from a usual rule. But Slafkovský charmed the management of the Habs in the jersey of Slovakia during the Beijing Olympics and the World Championship in Finland. He shone on big stages playing against men.

Craig Ramsay was in the front row to see the evolution of the future first choice in the draft. The 71-year-old has led Slovakia in major international tournaments since 2017-18.

In Ramsay’s eyes, Slafkovský will make his North American debut in a Canadiens uniform and not with the Laval Rocket in the American League.

“I imagine him in the NHL,” Ramsay replied in a telephone interview with the Journal. This is where I would like to use it. He is quite big and strong and he skates well. In addition, the Canadian finds himself in a reconstruction. They will be able to be patient with young people and develop them well.”

“He has already played against men at the Olympics and at the World Cup,” he continued. He has that experience. I also believe that Simon Nemec can make the jump to the NHL this year with the Devils.

a good teacher

In Montreal, Slafkovský would find himself under the guidance of Hockey Hall of Famer Martin St-Louis. In another era, Ramsay also coached St. Louis in an alternate role with the Tampa Bay Lightning.

“I think he will arrive in Montreal at a good time, replied the native of Ontario. The CH relies on a good coach in Martin St-Louis. Marty will help him a lot, he knows what it takes to be a dominant player in the NHL. He will give her time. I believe that Marty will let him have his freedom and he will let him bloom.”

“Juraj will make mistakes, but Marty will correct them with him. They will work together. He won’t try to stop him. A coach must live with mistakes and work to correct them. I never yelled at Juraj from behind the bench. I told him when he made a mistake, I did it with a certain gentleness and in a positive way.

An infectious smile

In Ramsay’s eyes, the 6-foot-3, 227-pound winger has the personality to survive the pot in Montreal.

“He is going to like it, he wants to be the one who makes the difference. He wants to play a big role. Yes, Montreal is a tough market, but it’s not the NHL’s only big market. A city like Philadelphia can also be brutal. There are markets that probably would have been easier for him. It’s true.”

“He has a lot of talent, but also a great personality. You want to surround yourself with players like him. He always smiles, he remains positive, but he also listens to your recommendations. He wants to learn and he’s not afraid to make adjustments in his game.

Chapter 2

Craig Ramsay simply explains the frenzied production of Juraj Slafkovský under his command with the Slovakia team and his more modest performance with the TPS of Turku in the Liiga.

“I had told the Canadiens and the Devils not to draft Slavy or Nemec if they wanted to put them in a box. They need to bet on their creativity.”

Before the draft, Ramsay had long conversations with another of his former players and now a member of the Canadiens’ hockey management, Vincent Lecavalier.

“I spoke to Vinny. He called me twice. Once shortly after the lottery and a week before the draft. We had talked for nearly 45 minutes both times. He was extracting all possible information about Slafkovský and Nemec. He asked me several questions, but he was mainly trying to understand the difference in Slafkovský’s game with the Slovakian team and his team in Finland. The Devils also spoke to me about the same subject.

“I answered the same thing. Yes, Juraj was playing better on the international stage than in the Liiga. My explanation was quite simple. I let him play, I allowed him to express himself. I wanted him to stay aggressive, to skate, to be good at forechecking and he liked that. In Finland, he was told to play the trap, to fall back, to cut passes for a counter-attack. He’s better when you let him breathe. And he’ll return the favor by working very hard.”

SEVEN IN SEVEN

At the Beijing Olympics, Slafkovský had scored seven goals in seven games. A few weeks later at the World Championship in Finland, he continued his momentum with nine points (3 goals, 6 assists) in eight games with Slovakia. These are far more impressive numbers than his ten points (5 goals, 5 assists) in 31 games in Turku.

GREAT PRIDE

On July 7, Ramsay did not make the trip to Montreal for the draft. He followed him from his home in Florida to Tampa. He was a happy man to see Slovakia write a page in its history with the first two selections. But he becomes a bit shy by sharing an anecdote about this great evening.

“I suspected Juraj was going to come out 1 or 2. I knew there was a chance for the top, but the Devils liked him a lot too. I hate to admit it, but I was in Florida for draft night. For some reason that still eludes me today, I got the date wrong. The first round usually happens on a Friday, but it was a Thursday in Montreal. I got a text from my son telling me that Slavy was top of the class.”

“At home, I asked for television to be shot at the draft. By the time we found the job, Nemec had just finished second with the Devils. I couldn’t be happier. I was surprised, but proud. I like the guys and I have great respect for this small country, Slovakia. We won bronze in Beijing and we had the first two picks in a repechage and three guys in the first round, counting Filip Mesar still with the CH.

“After the first lap, I had told my wife that I needed to go out for a walk and was probably in tears of joy. I thought it was a great gift for me, but especially for young people and for Slovakia.

Chapter 3

Juraj Slafkovský wore the colors of Slovakia at the World Championship for the first time at the age of 17. It was in Riga, Latvia. And it was also with Craig Ramsay behind the bench.

At that first experience, Slafkovský hadn’t written his name on the scoresheet in six games.

“He had played well at the World Cup at 17, but he just hadn’t scored a goal,” Ramsay recalled.

A year later, Slafkovský scored several goals. He was the driving force behind Slovakia in their pursuit of the bronze medal at the Beijing Olympics.

“Yes, I was impressed. I remember talking to him one morning. There was pressure on our players, for our country. We wanted to have a good tournament. I asked him how he found it and how he coped with the expectations. He said to me with a smile: “Are you kidding? It’s awesome!””

“In the first games of the tournament, I had used it to kill a penalty. It was not his role, but I had trusted him. When he came back to the bench, I wanted to rest him a bit. But he looked at me and I knew he wanted to get back on the ice immediately. He didn’t skip a turn. He became a leader for our team. He played with heart and the guys wanted to play with him. The big names in the team came to see me and asked me to have Slavy as a winger.

In the absence of NHL players at the Olympics, Slafkovský finished the tournament with seven goals in seven games. He walked away with a bronze medal and the tournament’s Most Valuable Player award. Not bad for a young man who was still 17 at the time.