Juraj Slafkovský is currently training hard in Slovakia with the goal of earning a spot with the Montreal Canadiens in October.
This is why he will not take part in the World Junior Championship which will take place in Edmonton in August. Slafkovsky will land in Montreal in mid-August as the team approaches training camp.
This information was relayed on Twitter by Slovak journalist Tomáš Prokop on Monday.
The Canadiens’ first overall pick in the 2022 draft wants to firm up his chest muscles and improve both his skill and speed in his summer training.
Slafkovský has also revealed the details of his agreement with defender Chris Wideman, who was kind enough to give him his number 20. The young power forward will happily agree to sign a jersey for Wideman’s son and will take him to dinner.
First overall picks have often jumped straight to the NHL in the past, but Slafkovský could play in the American League at Laval next year despite being 18, having played in Europe last season.