MONTREAL – Juraj Slafkovsky was just as stunned as the Bell Centre group.
And Shane Wright had to wait a ton lengthier than envisioned to listen to his name referred to as.
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The Montreal Canadiens hosted the initially round of the 2022 NHL draft Thursday.
They built certain there was lots of intrigue.
The Primary Six franchise picked Slafkovsky with the No. 1 select, whilst Wright — long seen as the presumptive prime collection — fell to fourth over-all.
Canadiens basic manager Kent Hughes announced the first choose, but was drowned out by the electric crowd reaction that incorporated both equally cheers and jeers.
“It was a definitely major shock for me,” explained the 18-year-aged Slafkovsky, who has a large body and a huge personality. “We experienced meetings, but we never get to know just about anything at all from that assembly. I still could just guess when I was waiting around for this.
“But now it truly is fact.”
Not everybody in attendance was joyful with the choice at the league’s very first in-human being draft because 2019 soon after the previous two had been held practically mainly because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
A handful of Canadiens lovers sported Wright jerseys with his No. 51 on the again, though Slafkovsky was booed on the purple carpet outside the house the rink before moving into the building on his significant night time.
“Hockey is their passion as properly as mine,” claimed the 6-foot-4, 229-pound winger, who later on waded into the stands and large-fived followers to raucous assist. “Perhaps some of them failed to like me.
“But I will do every thing that I can (to) perform very good for this staff and they will essentially maybe like me one particular day.”


Juraj Slafkovsky poses for photos following staying picked as the major choose in the initial spherical of the NHL draft by the Montreal Canadiens in Montreal on Thursday, July 7, 2022. THE CANADIAN Press/Ryan Remiorz
The major-rated European skater by NHL Central Scouting starred for his country at each the Beijing Olympics and entire world championships.
“We ended up leaning towards Slafkovsky, I would say, sometime Wednesday morning, mid-morning,” Hughes stated pursuing the 1st spherical. “We preferred to meet him, but we’d experienced so a great deal debate and evaluation, discussion between the group.
“When we chat about his character, his drive to be a difference-maker, you see it. You see it in the way he plays, you see it when you speak to him. He is a really charismatic kid.”
Minutes immediately after selecting Slafkovsky initial over-all, the Canadiens have been appropriate back at do the job and including additional to the evening’s drama.
The first workforce to host the draft and pick initially considering the fact that the Toronto Maple Leafs grabbed Wendel Clark, Montreal obtained the 13th assortment from the New York Islanders for defenceman Alexander Romanov and the 98th decide on.
The Canadiens then packaged that range with the to start with choose of spherical three (66th total) and sent them to Chicago for centre Kirby Dach.
In the approach of dismantling their roster for a rebuild, the Blackhawks also traded star ahead Alex DeBrincat to the Ottawa Senators for three picks before in the working day, which include Friday’s seventh general collection.
The New Jersey Devils adopted the Slafkovsky stunner and took defenceman Simon Nemec 2nd over-all.
“Astounding minute for my household, for me,” reported the defenceman, who alongside with Slafkovsky are the greatest drafted Slovaks in NHL background.
“Astounding night.”
The Arizona Coyotes then took American centre Logan Cooley of the U.S National Advancement Plan at No. 3.
NHL Central Scouting’s prime-ranked North American skater heading into Thursday, Wright at last experienced his name called when the Seattle Kraken stepped to the microphone to make the centre the draft’s fourth variety.
“Surely going to have a minor chip on my shoulder,” explained the captain of the Ontario Hockey League’s Kingston Frontenacs. “I have constantly been self-motivated, constantly been pushing myself internally.
“But it can be definitely gonna give me a small far more fireplace.”
League enterprise received likely earlier in the day when the Colorado Avalanche obtained goaltender Alexandar Georgiev from the New York Rangers for three picks.
The Pittsburgh Penguins, meanwhile, introduced a 6-yr, US$36.6-million get in touch with extension with defenceman Kris Letang, though the Minnesota Wild signed goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury to a two-calendar year, $7-million offer.
The Winnipeg Jets grabbed U.S National Team Development Application winger Rutger McGroarty with the 14th decide before the Vancouver Canucks chose Swedish blue-liner Jonathan Lekkerimaki a person slot later on.
The Canadiens took Slovak winger Filip Mesar at No. 26 with their 2nd selection of the first round.
The Edmonton Oilers traded the 29th choose, two potential choices and bruising ahead Zack Kassian to the Arizona Coyotes in a different income dump.
Edmonton obtained the No. 32 select in the deal and lose Kassian’s $3.5-million wage. The Oilers then chose Reid Schaefer of the Western Hockey League’s Seattle Thunderbirds.
The Senators failed to have a select Thursday adhering to the DeBrincat trade, even though the Calgary Flames ended up also on the sidelines.
The draft resumes Friday with rounds two by means of 7.
Thursday evening began with NHL commissioner Gary Bettman acquiring roundly booed by the crowd.
He did not intellect one particular little bit.
“Thank you for that welcome,” he explained. “It truly is a return to normalcy.”
-With information from Gemma Karstens-Smith.
This report by The Canadian Press was to start with printed July 7, 2022.
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