It isn't often that a prospect in his draft eligible season is named the Olympic MVP, but that was the case for Slovakia's Juraj Slafkovsky. He led the entire 2022 tournament in Beijing with seven goals while helping Slovakia claim its first-ever Olympic medal (bronze).
Beyond that, Slafkovsky posted three goals and nine points for Slovakia in the 2022 World Championship and his draft stock has risen to the point where some prognosticators have him as the No. 1-overall talent on the board.
For starters, Slafkovsky is huge at 6-foot-4 and 218 pounds. He certainly uses his size and power to his advantage, but he isn't an overly physical in terms of hitting and punishing opponents. In fact, Slafkovsky has incredible hands and skill for a big man. It's a rare blend of attributes.
Slafkovsky leveled up to stiff competition in the European pro leagues in Finland as well as international competition against full grown men. He certainly needs to work on his skating and shot, but there is a lot of upside to the Slovak, if he can fulfill it.
