On the Shane Wright / Juraj Slafkovsky debate
As usual, some are souring on the long-time consensus top prospect leading up to the draft.
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Juraj Slafkovsky is the talk of the town leading up to the 2022 NHL entry draft.
The 6’4’ Slovakian winger brings a rare mix of size, skill and touch to the table. Those traits, combined with his recent form, have him surging up draft boards.
He was more productive down the stretch of his SM-liiga season and has carried that momentum forward into the World Hockey Championships, where his play has been eye opening.
Slafkovsky has put together one of the best showings ever seen in the tournament by a player of his age. He’s been all over the scoresheet, piling up nine points through seven games to date. Only Patrik Laine (12) has ever recorded more among 18U skaters.
And it’s not just smoke and mirrors or empty calorie production. Slafkovsky has posted dominant on-ice metrics while helping drive the bus for his country.
Meanwhile, Shane Wright is in off-season mode after a somewhat disappointing playoff run in which a) his production rates dipped and; b) his team was bounced in five games in the second round.
We’re now seeing a lot of talk that Slafkovsky could, or should, go 1st overall as a result.
But is that talk really warranted; or is this another case – see: Matthews/Laine, Hughes/Kakko, etc. – where the long-time consensus No. 1 pick goes stale in favor of a shiny new toy?
I asked an NHL Hockey Ops member to find out.
