Montreal Canadiens forward Juraj Slafkovsky may already have an NHL season under his belt, but he only recently graduated high school.
The 19-year-old Slovakian went back to finish his senior year at school in his hometown of Košice after a knee injury ended his rookie season prematurely in January. And while he arrived in time to catch up with his studies, it looks like he missed the boat on graduation photos.
In a recent video shared by RDS, the rookie was seen holding up a framed collection of portraits of his graduating class. Within the sea of white shirts was Slafkovsky, whose makeshift senior photo is a shot of him in a Canadiens jersey from the 2022 NHL Entry Draft.
“They didn’t have a picture of me in a white shirt. They used a different one, I guess,” Slafkovsky explained while laughing.
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Despite missing a good chunk of the semester and standing out in the class portrait, Slafkovsky seems to have finished the year with good grades as well.
“I am a model pupil. My grades were one, one, two, two (A, A, B, B),” Slafkovsky explained in a recent interview with Slovakia’s Sportnet.sk. “I pleased my parents. When my parents are happy, I’m happy.”
And aside from earning a diploma, Slafkovsky, who was drafted first overall by Montreal, has been training hard all year to prepare for the pressure that his sophomore season will bring as fans expect more production from him.
“I’m sure they’ll expect more from me. I’m already counting on that,” he added. “But I believe I’m very well prepared, and I can play hockey.”
Slafkovsky, who netted four goals and 10 points in 39 NHL games last year, is expected to return to Montreal this month in preparation for the upcoming season.