Slafkovsky hopes for another magical run at Olympics with Slovakia

MILAN -- Juraj Slafkovsky lived a dream at the 2022 Beijing Olympics, winning a bronze medal with Slovakia and being named the tournament's most valuable player.

At just 17 years of age in his first taste of Olympic hockey, Slafkovsky carried his team's offense on his young shoulders, scoring seven goals in seven games. He easily could have been confused for a much older player were it not for the braces he still had on his teeth.

At the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026, Slafkovsky again will be a key player for Team Slovakia, but the context will be far different. Unlike four years ago in Beijing, this tournament will include NHL players.

"It's a different tournament with all the best players in the world being here," Slafkovsky said after practice at Santagiulia Arena on Monday. "I just want to give my best performance. I'll look to help my team and to be the best version of myself. Hopefully I can help the team win a few games."

Surrounded by a dozen journalists from his home country in the media zone, Slafkovsky took a few steps to his right to then be interviewed by the journalists with whom he regularly chats inside the Montreal Canadiens locker room.

When asked about the pressure he might be feeling from his homeland, Slafkovsky shrugged it off with his typical sense of humor.

"It's a good thing Slovakia's such a small country," he said while laughing. "I don't have the attention of a huge country like Canada. But I like that. I've dreamed about this when I was a kid. I want to have fun.

"I hope the other teams don't focus on me too much. But I feel like if I want to be the guy who makes the difference on the ice, I'm going to need to go up against the other teams' best forward lines and best defensemen. I'm going to be looking to make things difficult for them and score some goals."

Slafkovsky and Slovakia will open the men's Olympic tournament against Team Finland at Santagiulia Arena on Wednesday (10:40 a.m. ET; Peacock, USA, CBC Gem, TSN, CBC).

Slovakia will have its work cut out for it in Group B, being joined by two hockey superpowers in Finland and Team Sweden, along with Team Italy. In order to make it past the preliminary round, coach Vladimir Orszagh will rely on a collective effort from his team, rather than place all of the burden on Slafkovsky alone.

"The Olympics aren't the story of one single player," Orszagh said Tuesday. "Juraj is a dominant winger in the NHL and a first overall pick (2022 NHL Draft). He had a wonderful tournament in Beijing and scored plenty of goals, but it's a different story in Milan. We'll still need him. He'll be very important for our team on the ice, but also in the locker room.

"People will look to Juraj, but he won't be the only one. We can't rely on just one player. We mustn't forget that he's still a young player at 21. We need to realize that he's going to play against the best defensemen in the world. The other teams will be keeping an eye on him, because they know he's going to be a threat."

Craig Ramsay witnessed Slafkovsky's incredible run in Beijing firsthand. The 74-year-old, working as a special consultant for Slovakia in Milano Cortina, was coach of the team in 2022.

"He'll be a key player for us once again," Ramsay said. "He knows it too. If he uses his speed and his size, he'll find ways to stand out. We also have good players who can get him the puck. I'd like to see him take more shots; he doesn't always have to think about trying to make the perfect pass between the legs of two defensemen."

Since the moment the Canadiens selected Slafkovsky, Ramsay has believed that he was on the way to establishing himself as a dominant forward in the NHL. In his fourth season with Montreal, Slafkovsky is beginning to approach that elite level, with 45 points (21 goals, 24 assists) in 57 games this season.

"I'm noticing an improvement in 'Slaf's' play from one year to the next," Ramsay said. "He has confidence in himself now. He's scoring goals and now he's raised his game to become an important player for Montreal. I'm so happy for him. I know that he likes his role with the Canadiens, but he always tells me that he wants to do even more. That's the sign of a good player: he's never satisfied.

"I know the NHL. I worked in that league for many years. Very few players are able to dominate right from Day 1. When you're the first pick, people always expect to see a superstar. But it takes time for the vast majority of those early picks. That was the case with Slaf."