For the first time in the history of NHL draft two ice hockey players from Slovakia have been selected on positions one and two.
the Montreal Canadiens from the North American ice hockey professional league decided somewhat surprisingly in front of their own fans on Thursday (July 7th, 2022) for attacker Juraj Slafkovsky, who scored seven goals at the Olympic Games in Beijing and led the team to bronze.
In second place in the draft, the decided New Jersey Devils for defender Simon Nemec. He was also part of the Slovakian team that clinched the country’s first Olympic medal in ice hockey, beating the German national team 4-0 along the way.
First American in third place
Logan Cooley became the first American to be third-placed by the Arizona Cardinals selected that Seattle Kraken around national goalkeeper Philipp Grubauer grabbed fourth position Shane Wright. The center had been predicted by many pundits as the first pick of the draft.
Russians also drafted
Contrary to some fears about the unclear political situation, three talents from Russia were selected in the first of a total of seven rounds. Nobody from Germany was there on Thursday. Rounds two through seven take place on Friday.