Canadiens select Juraj Slafkovsky first overall

MONTREAL -- The Canadiens selected forward Juraj Slafkovsky with the first overall pick in the 2022 NHL Draft on Thursday night at the Bell Centre.

Slafkovsky was the top-ranked prospect in NHL Central Scouting's final ranking of International skaters.
The 18-year-old Slovak winger registered 10 points (5 goals, 5 assists) in 31 games this past season with TPS Turku in Finland's SM-liiga.
He added seven points (2 goals, 5 assists) in 18 playoff appearances.
Slafkovsky earned Most Valuable Player honors at the 2022 Beijing Olympics in February after scoring a tournament-best seven goals and helping Slovakia claim bronze.

The Olympic All-Star also tied for the tournament lead with seven points.
Remarkably, Slafkovsky was the youngest player in the event at 17 years old.
The Kosice native was also a standout at the 2022 IIHF World Championship where he led the squad in scoring with nine points (3 goals, 6 assists) and 27 shots in eight games.
He was also sporting his country's colors at the 2022 IIHF World Junior Championship in December when the tournament was cancelled after COVID-19 cases were found among the participating teams.

It marked the sixth time in franchise history that Montreal picked first overall.
Previous picks include Doug Wickenheiser (1980), Guy Lafleur (1971), Réjean Houle (1969), Michel Plasse (1968) and Garry Monahan (1963).