There are prospects who have to wait to sign their first contract, but that’s not the case for Juraj Slafkovsky.
Updated yesterday at 7:33 p.m.
The Canadian took advantage of this relatively quiet July 13 in his court to announce that his first choice in the last draft, the first overall, had put his signature at the bottom of his rookie contract.
It was of course only a formality in his case, but it is another file settled for general manager Kent Hughes. The young forward therefore obtains a three-year agreement at the salary of the first echelon in the NHL, or $925,000 US per season.
Slafkovsky, who had let it be known when he arrived at the Canadiens’ development camp on Monday in Brossard that he wanted to “destroy everything”, also wanted to be able to obtain this first contract as quickly as possible, he who has just been drafted by the Montreal club, in a crowded Bell Center, last week.
The Canadian’s development camp ended on Wednesday, and the young forward took advantage of the last few days to make a very good impression.
It remains to be seen what will be the result in his case; there is always the possibility of seeing him participate in the World Junior Hockey Championship, presented in Edmonton in August. The young Slovak could also participate in the Canadian camp, in September in Brossard.
Hughes had been rave about him on draft night at the Bell Center.
“Players who skate, who have a physical side, who score, there are not many, he recalled then. What came up often was that Juraj, even at the World Championship, he wants to make a difference, he wants to have the puck. In the interview, one of our questions was: ‟What do you like the most in hockey?” He said it’s being on the ice when it’s 4-3, leading 4-3 or losing 4-3. »
The tall left-winger (6’4″) has seen his rating climb in recent weeks, having made his name, among other things, by scoring seven goals during the Beijing Olympics, and also adding nine points with his national team during the World Championship in the spring.
He has his first contract close. And now comes the slightly more difficult end: fulfilling expectations.