Coming off a slow rookie campaign cut short by injury, Montreal Canadiens forward Juraj Slafkovsky is proving his doubters wrong with an impressive sophomore season.
And as Canadiens head coach Martin St. Louis continues to point out, that progression can be seen well beyond the scoresheet, which has seen Slafkovsky net 15 goals and 42 points over 74 games this year.
After Tuesday night’s win against the Florida Panthers, St. Louis had plenty to say about Slafkovsky, who capped the night with one assist and six penalty minutes.
“My favourite thing from Slaf as a No. 1 pick overall is it’s not about himself and it’s rare that you see that at that age,” St. Louis said. “He’s very selfless in that sense; he really cares about the guys around him, he cares about the team, he wants to win.”
Along with setting multiple Canadiens records — including the longest point streak by a U20 player and most points by a teenager in a single season — St. Louis said that the 6-foot-3 forward has learned how to use his assets in the right moments.
“My favourite thing he’s done this year is he figured out when to use what,” the coach told reporters. “Sometimes it’s physicality. Sometimes it’s poise… I think the game has slowed down for him.”
And speaking of physicality, the 20-year-old, who was selected first overall by Montreal in the 2022 Draft, has brought plenty of that as of late, laying out big hits and getting into scrums in recent games.
Slaf et Arber avaient faim 🥪
they were hungry
#GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/Xwu7jCBCck— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) April 3, 2024
Montreal’s coach, who won the Stanley Cup as a player back in 2004, believes that Slafkovsky’s physical game can make him an effective playoff performer down the line.
“It’s such a big asset that he has and he learned how to use it this year — and those games, playoff games, players like that are annoying to play against in the playoffs.”
In the meantime, though, with just eight games remaining on the Canadiens’ schedule, the Slovakian winger will continue to grow his game on all fronts.
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