2022 first overall pick Juraj Slafkovsky hasn’t made his mark on the NHL just yet, but the Montreal Canadiens seemingly hope patience is a virtue in the rookie’s adjustment to the big league.
The 18-year-old has yet to bag his first NHL point and he’s put just one shot on net in four games while averaging 10:41 minutes of ice time per contest – the lowest on the team. However, Slafkovsky is used to having to fight for a larger role: He was in a similar situation in the Finnish Elite League last season.
“I had this challenge last year in TPS at the beginning. I kept going better and better and I believe it will go better and better as well here,” he told reporters Tuesday. “I will just keep fighting for my spot. I believe when I do all the small things well and we will keep winning, I can get more and more ice time.”
The 6-foot-3 winger added that he’s had conversations with Canadiens head coach Martin St. Louis about how to improve his game and he’s since been focusing on finishing his checks and driving the middle. St. Louis also told Slafkovsky that he wouldn’t get any time on the power play just yet as he continues to learn the ropes.
Slafkovsky has spent the bulk of his time on the third line with Christian Dvorak and Brendan Gallagher, but he moved down to the fourth line alongside Jake Evans and Mike Hoffman during Monday’s overtime win against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Captain Nick Suzuki said Slafkovsky can be too tough on himself at times, a point that the Slovak didn’t refute.
“I like winning and I like to be the best, so of course I’m hard on myself,” Slafkovsky said. “I think that’s my mentality, but sometimes I think I have to be more calm and more chill.”
For all his challenges, Slafkovsky is also having a blast early in his NHL career.
“It’s funny, I was calling my friends and saying, ‘Hey, I played against (Sidney) Crosby tonight,'” a smiling Slafkovsky said. “Two days before, it was, ‘I play against (Alex) Ovechkin tonight.’
“It’s like a dream, like NHL on PS4 or whatever in real life. It’s really nice, I really enjoy every second I’m on the ice.”