Some teams reportedly ask Juraj Slafkovsky if he would be able to change positions
During an appearance on the 32 Thoughts podcast with Jeff Marek and Elliotte Friedman, top draft prospect Juraj Slafkovsky said that some teams asked him if he would be able to play center at the NHL level.
Slafkovsky added that two teams that asked him were the Vancouver Canucks, who hold the 15th overall pick, and the New Jersey Devils, who will select 2nd overall.
Elliotte Friedman was curious as to why the Canucks would ask Slafkovsky that question, to which Jeff Marek says if they move up. Moving up could be a real possibility for Vancouver general manager Patrik Allvin, who will look to make an impact at his first draft as GM of the Canucks.
Slafkovsky, 18, is going to be a solid pick for whoever lands him. At 6'4", 224 pounds, Slafkovsky adds size and a bit of grit to anywhere he plays. While he's best known for his offensive game, especially at the Olympics where he scored seven goals in seven games which earned him MVP honours, he's definitely not afraid to use his size to his advantage and throw a big hit here and there.
The Kosice (Slovakia) native spent the 2021-22 season with TPS in Liiga, Finland's top division. In 31 games, he put up ten points (five goals, five assist) and added seven points in eighteen playoff games. Following the conclusion of the Liiga playoffs, Slafkovsky represented his country at the 2022 IIHF World Hockey Championship where he recorded nine points (three goals, six assists) in eight games as Slovakia lost in the Quarter-Final to Finland.
Friedman wonders why Vancouver would ask? They are picking 15th, Juraj Slafkovsk� won't be there, Marek says if they move up, Friedman responds by saying "Thinking emoji".� NHL Watcher (@NHL_Watcher) June 3, 2022
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| G | A | PTS | ||
| Dylan Coghlan | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Pavel Dorofeyev | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Nic Dowd | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Brett Howden | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Gabriel Landeskog | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Valeri Nichushkin | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Rasmus Andersson | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Ross Colton | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Jack Eichel | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Tomas Hertl | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Ben Hutton | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Nathan MacKinnon | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Mitch Marner | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Brandon Saad | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Colton Sissons | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Devon Toews | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Jack Ahcan | - | - | - | |
| Ivan Barbashev | - | - | - | |
| Brent Burns | - | - | - | |
| Jack Drury | - | - | - | |
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