The surprising number one cannon of the lions’ semi-final came to Finland at the age of 15. In the summer, he will become one of the highest NHL reserves of all time in Slovakia.
Tomi Kallio knew that a player who left the Turku Football Club at the age of 17 at the age of 17 could be able to take exceptional action.
That’s what kind of tournament Juraj Slafkovsky has played, however, has finally exceeded expectations.
Slovakia set out to challenge Lions in the semi-finals and Slafkovsky has been the team’s most powerful player. Now even the finish line of the Olympic tournament is within reach.
– In that sense, it is surprising that he has been able to make such a big breakthrough at the level of men in such tough company as in the Olympics. Then again, after seeing him up close for a long time, I think it’s been more a matter of time before men’s games start to take place in the form of goals and other good performances, says the TPS player coordinator who played one of the Olympics himself.
The two weeks of the Beijing Olympics have pushed Slafkovsky into a much wider awareness.
The striker started the race briskly by scoring two goals in the Lions net in the first half match. He then struck once in the Swedish and Latvian net before falling to zero against Germany. In the semi-final against the United States, Slafkovsky hit again.
At the start of the semifinals, he will split the top spot on the tournament’s finish line with the Swede Lucas Wallmarkin with.
– The extracts have looked more than good. We are very happy for him when he has hit some hard readings on the table and showed his skills at the best level, Kallio praises.
Next, Slafkovsky sets out to lead the men’s tournament surprise towards the finals. Finland stands in the way of the finals.
Rise in the Finnish series
Slafkovsky did not arrive in Finland in 2019 until he was 15 years old. He had previously visited the Czech Republic and Austria, while becoming a key player on the Slovak national under-16 team.
Like many other Slovak promises, he left his homeland at an early stage. The level of their own junior series and even the main series is perceived as deficient when it comes to growing up as an NHL player.
– Juraj came as suggested by his agent. He wanted to go to Finland, even though he was guaranteed a place on the Salzburg team. After the offer came to Lohja, I watched his match and was convinced of that one game so much that I told our then sports executive that this guy would probably be worth taking if available. It wasn’t long before Juraj came to us.
Kallio’s findings were correct, as the power was quickly found in Turku.
Right from his first season, Slafkovsky made the best performances of his team in the B-Junior Championships for a couple of years as a minor. For the following winter, he advanced to the A-youth and this season to the Finnish Championship.
During the rise, the puck circles were already buzzing with the pearl of Slovakian hockey, which is becoming the country’s first first-round booking since 2005. In the papers of NHL player observers who arrived in Turku Hall in the fall, one name was carefully circled.
Only four Slovaks in the top ten have been booked for the NHL, only Marian Gaborik number three in 2000. Gaborik’s career in more than a thousand NHL matches officially ended last year, so there’s a place for a new favorite kid.
At the league level, Slafkovsky has been challenged and has not yet reached the mood of terror. In his 21 league matches, he has scored one goal and a total of four points. Without the Olympics, he would currently suffer a six-match ban after being stabbed in the head by the Fly Player. The 192-centimeter and 99-pound player leaves many professionals behind in physics as well.
In the summer, the top booking number is promised
There are also two young TPS players on the Slovak Olympic team. Defender Samuel Knazko is two years older than Slafkovsky and has already received an NHL reservation for the Columbus Blue Jackets. He moved to Turku in 2018 and played in TPS Juniors for four seasons, but moved to the North American Junior League WHL in the fall.
Knazko had a third-round booking. Slafkovsky’s place is clearly higher. Player observers have praised his size and strength, but also his speed and skill. Slafkovsky acts as both a winger and a centerpiece, and according to Kallio, adaptability is valuable.
– She is infinitely strong for her age and even against men. He has insane physics that are quite exceptional compared to others of that age. In addition, he has very good offensive playing skills. What makes him very good, however, is the versatility because he is able to play in many different roles. Now it has been seen that he has the ability to make a profit, so time will tell which direction he will go more, Kallio describes.
Looking ahead to next summer’s NHL bookings, attention has been drawn to JYP in the SM League Joakim Kemelli and Pelicans Brad Lambert. However, Slafkovsky has long been at the top of the rankings. Slafkovsky was second after Kemelli on Central Scouting’s latest list of players outside of North America.
– When he came, he could have played in the C-youth, but the B-youth were a harder level and he pulled through it. Now it has seemed that A-Youth is far too light a series for him. So he has been in the league this season and has occasionally been playing in the A-youth due to extra matches. We always try to estimate when is the right time to move forward, Kallio says.
Gaborik, Marian Hossa and deceased Pavol Demitra hit the Finnish net in the bronze match of the 2010 Olympics, the only time Slovakia has survived in the top four. Now the country is once again striving for its first medal and at the forefront of the new generation sparkles a 17-year-old playing with high self-confidence.