Behind-the-Scenes Footage Released Revealing Why Montreal Drafted Juraj Slafkovsky
The Canadiens made big splash this summer, drafting Juraj Slafkovsky over Shane Wright, who had held the #1 ranking for over two years. Slafkovsky's ascent seemingly came overnight, but those in-the-know have watched him for years, witnessing his physical maturity and personal development the whole way. The 6'4" Slovak absolutely dominated at the u16 and u18 levels, and when given the chance to play against men, he proved he could not only keep up, but dominate there too. A risky enough pick at #1 overall, Slafkovsky has proven that he can consistently be a driver, and his size, skill, and character earned him that #1 spot.
Today, behind-the-scenes footage was released from the Canadiens' War Room, and it offered great insight as to the team's decision to draft Slafkovsky #1 overall:
As I said, the pick offered a high risk/high reward profile, as Slafkovsky's sample is small in direct comparison to players like Wright, Logan Cooley, and even his countryman Simon Nemec, who went #2 to New Jersey.
Slafkovsky only managed 10 points in 31 games for TPS Turku this season, but he did post 7 points in 18 playoff games, which is worthy of note. But it is undeniable the Habs took on some risk with this pick, and only the future will dictate whether or not it was worth it.
| POLL | ||
AOÛT 26 | 336 ANSWERS Behind-the-Scenes Footage Released Revealing Why Montreal Drafted Juraj Slafkovsky Did the Habs pick the right guy at #1? | ||
| Yes | 236 | 70.2 % |
| No | 100 | 29.8 % |
| LIST OF POLLS | ||
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TOP 5
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HIER
21 MAI 2026
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| B | P | PTS | ||
| Juraj Slafkovsky | 2 | 1 | 3 | |
| Nick Suzuki | - | 3 | 3 | |
| Cole Caufield | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Phillip Danault | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Ivan Demidov | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Seth Jarvis | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Eric Robinson | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Alexandre Texier | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Sebastian Aho | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Alexandre Carrier | - | 1 | 1 | |
| William Carrier | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Jake Evans | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Kaiden Guhle | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Alex Newhook | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Andrei Svechnikov | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Frederik Andersen | - | - | - | |
| Josh Anderson | - | - | - | |
| Jackson Blake | - | - | - | |
| Zachary Bolduc | - | - | - | |
| Jalen Chatfield | - | - | - | |
| STATS COMPLÈTES | ||||