Juraj Slafkovsky is having a very good season so far, and he has improved by leaps and bounds, even if it doesn't always show on the scoreboard.
Jakub Dobes wasn’t the only player who shone in the Montreal Canadiens’ win over the Edmonton Oilers on Sunday night. Jake Evans and Mike Matheson caught my eye because of the way they countered Connor McDavid, but Juraj Slafkovsky also had an impressive game, something that’s been happening more and more often these days.
Not only did the power forward put up two points with assists on each of the Canadiens’ power play goals, but he did a lot of the little things right last night. For instance, on the first goal, after giving Demidov the puck, he went straight to the net, used his big body to screen goaltender Calvin Pickard, and was instrumental in the rookie’s goal.
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On the second goal, after receiving the puck from Lane Hutson, he had his head up to scan the ice and saw that Nick Suzuki was in the clear right by the goal. He recognized the opportunity and sent him a picture-perfect pass.
Furthermore, even though he didn’t throw his weight around much in the game, he only had one hit, but he took part in several battles by the boards. That’s where you can see how much he has improved over the years; he’s now very good at using his frame to dominate opponents physically, and he’s really hard to move off the puck. Twice on the same play, he couldn’t use his stick to move the puck as it was tied up, so while battling two players by the boards, he managed to do a couple of nice passes, kicking the puck while keeping his balance.
His weight has varied over the years. At one stage, he was 238 pounds, but now he’s at an optimal 225 pounds, which is heavy enough to stand his ground but svelte enough to move quickly. He’s come a really long way since his rookie season, when he would regularly be caught with his head down while skating and end up flat on the ice often. There were times when he looked like Bambi trying to learn to walk in that rookie year, but those days are long gone.
He's come a very long way. His 20 points in 32 games put him on pace for a 51-point season, which would match his total from last year. Some will lament the fact that he’s not putting up more points, but at the end of the day, he wasn’t drafted to become a huge points producer; he was drafted to be a power forward, and that’s what he’s developing into.
Since being moved to a new line with Ivan Demidov and Oliver Kapanen, he looks more confident on the ice. It seems he feels his role is no longer that of a complementary piece to the Nick Suzuki-Cole Caufield duo, but rather a driver for his line. He’s not afraid to carry the puck and claim his space.
This newfound confidence is also evident when he moves back to the top line with the captain and the sniper. When all is said and done, it looks like the big Slovak will be one of the most improved players on the Habs this season, and he’s still only 21 years old despite playing in his fourth season. The future is bright for the youngster.
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