Juraj Slafkovsky lived up to expectations, according to the Sabers coach.
Juraj Slafkovsky was the first to be called up at the summer’s NHL booking event. AOP / USA TODAY Sports
Cooled in TPS and Slovakian shirt last season Juraj Slafkovsky immediately convinced the puck crowd at the NHL rookie camp. The Montreal Canadiens’ No. 1 draft pick from last summer looked dominant among his peers in a practice game against the Buffalo Sabres’ prospects.
Slafkovsky nicely introduced his compatriot Filip Mesarin underpowered goal. The TPS comet went for the puck and skated to catch the Sabers player from a few meters back. He took control of the puck and passed to Mesar, who was skating in the middle, who was free to make the cage.
– I just tried to get to the puck first. I felt someone behind me and raised my head. I saw (Mesar) and fed him a little bit, Slafkovsky commented on his performance to NHL.com.
Canadiens players to keep an eye on Scott Mata praised the team’s brightest promise, who was chosen as the second star of the match.
– I can’t stop watching this underpowered goal. The finish was fantastic, but Slafkovsky’s preliminary work was incredible. Fight, win the duel and score, Matla praised on Twitter.
You can watch Slafkovsky’s goal below or here from the link. The story continues after immersion.
Tank on ice
Slafkovsky is not a lightweight player, as he had only grown more since the summer. During the booking ceremony, he was weighed at 103 kilograms. Now, according to the rookie camp listing, he was five kilos heavier.
Based on the performance, the extra kilos were not visible in the speed. NHL website editor To Mike Morreale compared the Slovak to a tank.
– He is like a tank over there. Skates hard. Just wiped out a Buffalo player in the midfield near the wing, Morreale wrote his observations on Twitter.
The Sabers pack got a taste of size By Zach Berzo, who tried to drive his open bomb into Slafkovsky. As a result, Berzolla stopped like a wall trying to take down the big man.
The opponent’s coach Seth Appert was also convinced of the number one reservation for the summer.
– Slafkovsky was as advertised. I saw him in training and I said it can’t be true. He is massive. Berzolla’s heavy tackle was good and clean, but he didn’t even flinch. I think he was fantastic and looked like a first-choice player, Appert praised on the NHL’s website.
If you can’t see the tweet below, you can check it out from here.