today 15:45
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Slovak hockey forward Juraj Slafkovský is attracting the most attention from Slovaks overseas this season, as he plays for the Montreal Canadiens in the NHL and is the official rookie draft pick.
According to expert Corey Pronman from The Athletic magazine, he shows what experts highlighted in him before the draft, but he still needs time to develop. According to him, defender Šimon Nemec will also establish himself in North America over time.
Pronman has compiled a ranking of the 154 best players under the age of 23 who have been drafted by NHL clubs since 2018 and are active overseas. He ranked Slafkovský in 16th place, the German in 40th position and another Slovak defender Samuel Kňažek in 143rd place. The German was drafted last year by the New Jersey Devils from second place, but he plays for the Utica Comets in the AHL. Knežka was selected by the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2020 from the 78th position and is currently working for the Cleveland Monsters (AHL).
“Slafkovsky’s rookie season has had its ups and downs. He’s still showing what you liked about him before the draft. There aren’t many players with that combination of speed, size and talent. He can be a very productive player in the NHL one day. But first, he’s got to figure out how to perform evenly against men. I think he’ll figure it out. He’s talented enough and doesn’t have a work ethic, but it might take some time.” evaluated the expert of the 18-year-old from Košice, who played 39 games this year with 10 points (4+6).
“The German is playing a lot of minutes this season in the AHL as an 18-year-old defenseman. He didn’t make an impact offensively, but he’s still young and will be more productive. He’s so smart, talented, mobile and hard-working that he’ll eventually become a player in North America such an excellent player as he was in Europe” thinks Pronman about Šimon Nemec. In the 30 duels so far this season, the 18-year-old from Liptovský Mikuláš has collected 15 points (4+11).
