Juraj Slafkovsky took the Slovakian hockey world by storm in 2022 when he starred for his country at the Olympics and World Championships. He won three categories at the Slovakia Hockey Awards that season: Best Player, Best Forward, and Best U20 Player. He was the first player to win all three at once, which makes it even more impressive that he accomplished the feat again in 2024.
Juraj Slafkovsky is officially the best 🇸🇰 hockey player. He also won the best striker and the best U20 categories. Congratulations and good luck in the upcoming season👏🤞🎉 pic.twitter.com/jeiEdFwPL1
— Slovakia in Canada (@SlovakiaInCAN) August 27, 2024
It's been a banner year for Slafkovsky, which gets capped off by these honors. He recorded a career-high 50 points in the 2023-24 season, then signed an eight-year, $60.8 million extension on the first day of free agency. It was the kind of season that could build a young player's confidence after a subpar rookie year. He found a home on the Canadiens' first line with Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield and doesn't look to be relinquishing that spot anytime soon. Slafkovsky demonstrated that confidence in an interview after accepting the awards.
"“I think I can be way better than I was (last year)…I had 50 good games and that’s not enough. I just wanna keep progressing more and hopefully, we can get to the playoffs, that’s the main goal. That was just the beginning, I had to start somewhere…”"Juraj Slafkovsky
Slafkovsky is the second Habs player this week to mention making the playoffs in the upcoming season. It's one thing to say it, and it's another thing to do it. However, Canadiens fans need to start realizing it could be a much different year at the Bell Centre in 2024-25.