Montreal. Last October, just before the start of the new NHL season, The Athletic published An article entitled “Juraj Slafkovský and the burden of the nation”where the Slovak hockey player complained about journalists and access to his family.
In his words, he cannot go shopping in his native Košice without asking him for a photo, he only sits in a separate room in a restaurant and everyone knows where he lives, even though the house is not located in the city center.
“I learned to live with it, but it annoys me internally. But I can’t do anything about it,” he said.
Already before this text, Arpon Basu, a 21-year-old striker, had a minimum of interviews. After that there are even fewer, especially in Slovak.
Slafkovský does not like to talk to the Slovak media, the reason is mainly the boulevard, which often dealt with more of his privacy than performance on ice.
It is no longer a secret that he likes to communicate for overseas editors Slafkovský and his approach in Canada is different than at home in Slovakia.
At a time when after the gala evening hockey player of the year 2025, where he won the award for the best hockey player and attacker and refused an interview for part of Slovak journalists, published on Canadian TV Sports Sports interviewin which Slafkovsky revealed its plans for next season.
He revealed a little more behind the scenes for the official Montreal Canadiens channels. On social networks the club posted more than a minute video, where he showed Slafkovsky during preparation in Kosice.
Video: Juraj Slafkovsky during summer preparation in Kosice
The goal is to get more points
For hockey players, the summer is a period of drudgery. This is not the case with Slafkovsky. Although he spent the last few months at home and was not supervised by Montreal coaches, he worked honestly.
After the year, which ended for Canadiens in the first round of the playoffs, he took only a small break to relax.
“I was on a short trip and then I started to train again. I didn’t have time to relax but that’s okay. I will relax when I’m old,” he joked in interview for Canadian TV two weeks ago.
For club social networks he explained that he will attend the summer preparation in the company of the national teammate Erika Černák from Tampa Bay.
“Each of us knows what he wants to achieve. We have no special preparation. We are just working hard to be ready to play,” Slafkovsky said. He also spiced up training on ice in HC Košice.
“They have been training with us for a long time, it’s not the first year, we’re taking it quite normal. This year Jakub Demek and Viliam Kmec have been added. They trained in our country less than three weeks. Each individually, depending on when they left back to America,” said Gabriel Spilar manager.
Last year Slafkovský after the bad start of the year, where the gambling rooms did not excel, managed to shake and from the February break for the tournament of four countries significantly played. Finally, in the year he scored 51 points, which surpassed the personal maximum by one point, but scored two goals less.
Thus, personal ambitions and expert assumptions did not fulfill. The grown wingman was aiming higher and bold standards are not afraid to pronounce even before the start of the new season, which will start more than a month.
When editor Anthony Martineau confronted him with 65 or 70 points, Slafkovský agreed. “These are nice numbers, I will roughly focus on some of them. I would like to achieve them and at the same time I hope that I could get more,” he said.
The problem that was most annoyed by him last season was the inconsistency of performances. He was aware of this and often spoke about it after failed matches.
He has now promised to concentrate to be consistent all year round. “I’m ready for it,” he added.
He wants to be a leader
Slafkovsky has become fully settled in the first Montreal attack alongside Cole Caufield and Captain Nick Suzuki.
The Slovak is the highest and strongest of the three. Therefore, his duties on the ice are given – winning personal fights, body to create space in front of the goal and get teammates into promising opportunities.
Although he was able to collect up to 33 assists last year, which is a lot more than goals (18), he wants to be even more valid at work for the team.
“I would say that I can score more goals, and I will focus on it, but I want to improve in a puck game and create more chances for my teammates. That’s the most important thing for me,” Slafkovsky said.
Adam Nicholas (director of the development of hockey players in Montreal) helped him the most in the details of the game, who sent him videos during the summer.
Outside the ice, in his own words, he tried to improve the perseverance, acceleration and strengthening of the upper body.
“I want to be the leader of the team on the ice, I want to help him achieve success and I think that when I play how best I know, I do it.
Back “at home”
Montreal made several changes during the transfer period. The team of the team was added to the defender Noah Dobson from New York Islanders and striker Zach Bolduc from St. Louis.
Slafkovsky has no doubt that the team’s strength is growing with each other’s coming player. “I look forward to seeing how they fit, but I’m sure they will bring an improvement compared to last season,” he said.
As he further confirmed, for the team of coach Martin St. Louisa remains the aim to advance to the playoffs, which will be a challenging task due to the different circumstances.
“It will be harder because the teams are already more careful about us, but it will be a fun challenge. What I talked to the guys, every single is ready for it,” said the Slovak attacker for TVA Sports.
Currently, Slafkovský is already in Montreal, where he fully trains with the Canadiens team. Juraj Slafkovský st. “Back ‘home’,” he said to the photo.
In the new season, Slafkovsky is waiting for the national peak in the form of the Winter Olympic Games in Milan, where after 12 years there will also be NHL players.
Slafkovský is one of the six Slovak hockey players whose participation in the Olympics was confirmed by the SZĽH in cooperation with the NHL in June.
As a result, only the highest ambitions will be placed on the young striker again and the pressure will only increase. The new eight -year contract will also intensify the claims, according to which he will stick to $ 10 million this year.
