Slafkovský was not the only Slovak player to be drafted in the first round of the 2022 draft. Šimon Nemec went No. 2 to the New Jersey Devils and Filip Mešár went at No. 26 to the Canadiens.

When the Canadiens drafted Juraj Slafkovský first overall in 2022, they did so with one clear goal in mind: to capitalize on his potential to become a dominant player in big games. ... – Adam Schefter ...

And clearly, Juraj Slafkovský got the message, as he scored his first career hat trick. Here are his three goals, in order: Slaf’s deflection, finally! turns out it bounced off Slaf!