Juraj Slafkovsky Hoping to 'Destroy' Fellow Countryman in Preseason Prospects Challenge
Juraj Slafkovsky and Simon Nemec are the first Slovak players ever to be drafted #1 and #2 in the NHL Draft. The two have played for the Slovakian junior and Olympic teams together, and they have a very close friendship, so watching their friendly rivalry grow in the NHL will be truly special.
Slafkovsky and the Canadiens' prospects group will play against Nemec and the Devils during the Prospects' Challenge in Buffalo on September 15. When asked about facing his friend in the tournament, Slafkovsky gave a great quote, as he always does.
The Devils and the Habs square off on Friday September 16, and that will be a game to watch as the two top draftees from this summer go head to head. Slafkovsky and Nemec both come into this season with lots to prove.
With only 10 points in 31 games for TPS Turku last season, Slafkovsky's dominant Olympic campaign ultimately landed him atop the draft rankings. He scored 7 goals in 7 games for Slovakia, the most in the tournament. His unique blend of size and skill has Habs fans foaming at the mouth.
Meanwhile, Nemec -- a right-shot defenseman -- scored 26 points in 39 games for Nitra of the Slovak league, including 17 points in 19 playoff games. His hockey IQ and his high0end offensive skillset were sufficient enough that New Jersey felt confident picking him over Shane Wright or even Logan Cooley. He and Devils' prospect Luke Hughes are the top two defense prospects in the NHL, a fact which has Devils fans doing backflips.
While both have extremely high upside, they both carry risk in the same light. Neither team opted to take Shane Wright, who held the top spot in the rankings for two years before being usurped, and because of strict COVID restrictions in Ontario, Wright missed the entire '20-21 season, which tanked his draft value. If Slafkovsky and Nemec fail to outplay Wright, either decision could prove costly.
| POLL | ||
SEPTEMBRE 6 | 245 ANSWERS Juraj Slafkovsky Hoping to 'Destroy' Fellow Countryman in Preseason Prospects Challenge Who is the best player in the 2022 Draft? | ||
| Slafkovsky | 79 | 32.2 % |
| Nemec | 55 | 22.4 % |
| Wright | 56 | 22.9 % |
| Other | 55 | 22.4 % |
| LIST OF POLLS | ||
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MAY 1, 2026
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| G | A | PTS | ||
| Rasmus Dahlin | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Tage Thompson | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Zach Benson | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Gage Goncalves | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Brett Howden | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Josh Norris | 1 | - | 1 | |
| David Pastrnak | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Mattias Samuelsson | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Alex Tuch | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Josh Doan | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Brandon Hagel | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Dominic James | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Peyton Krebs | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Hampus Lindholm | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Mitch Marner | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Mark Stone | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Pavel Zacha | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Josh Anderson | - | - | - | |
| Rasmus Andersson | - | - | - | |
| Jonathan Aspirot | - | - | - | |
| COMPLETE STATS | ||||