Major statement by Juraj Slafkovsky on his absence from the World Junior Championship

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MarcO
January 8, 2023 (7:14 PM)

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The NHL's official website spoke with Montreal Canadiens rookie Juraj Slafkovsky about his absence from the World Junior Championship.

Slovakia had a very good tournament and all indications are that if Slafkovsky had been there, the team would have gone further in the tournament.

Here are his comments on the subject:

"I heard my compatriot Simon Nemec say that I would have possibly scored in overtime if I had been with the team. Maybe, but we'll never know.

I'm not one to think about what might have happened if I had been there, or if we had done things differently."

And he adds this:

"Even though I was never told about the possibility of joining my country's junior team, I was trying to keep my place with the Canadiens. I always loved representing my country in international competitions, but I wanted to focus on my first season in the NHL. My goal is always to get better and move up in the lineup."

Slafkovsky finally closed the discussion in this way:

"Some believe I would have benefited from being dominant against players my age. Others believe it was better for me to continue my development by playing against men.

To this I say that I have full confidence in the team management to determine what is best for me. They are much smarter than I am at making those kinds of decisions."

Wow he's maturing the young Slaf!

Credit: Let's Go Habs