BUFFALO, N.Y. — The Canadiens have a difficult decision ahead of them with the No. 1 pick in the 2022 NHL Draft, but they are hoping the conversations they have had here at the scouting combine can offer some clarity.
We can’t speak for what impressions they might have had after speaking to Canadian Shane Wright, Slovak Juraj Slafkovsky and American centre Logan Cooley. The Canadiens held a formal interview with each of them at the combine and also met with them in a more informal setting — they took Wright and Cooley out to dinner, while they asked to meet up again with Slafkovsky on Wednesday evening after interviewing him earlier that day.
After speaking to all three of them this week, we were left impressed with each of them for entirely different reasons.
But one thing they all had in common was how confident they are in themselves and how well they could express that confidence, but also how their personalities and the way they speak kind of match up with the way they play.
Wright was extremely self-aware, composed and straightforward, addressing some of the criticism he’s faced this season in a calm, efficient way, well thought-out and matter-of-factly. The responses were quick, serious and direct, much like his game.
The first impression of Slafkovsky is just how imposing a young man he is; a physical specimen that leaves an impression just by sitting next to him. But then he starts to talk, flashes his big smile and shows how much fun he can be. His game is also big and fun; he’s someone who catches your eye on the ice and impresses with his rare combination of speed, size and skill. He is a bold, charismatic young man, and that shows in his game.
Shane Wright. (Chris Tanouye / Getty Images)
In the case of Cooley, this correlation between his personality and his game might not be quite as true as it is for the two others, but one thing he exudes both on the ice and when he talks is a quiet confidence. Cooley is seen as one of the most dynamic players in this draft, and if you don’t believe us, just ask him. He knows what he wants and has no doubt he has the ability to go get it. It’s true of his game, and it came shining through in our conversation with him.
Deciding which of these three young men deserve to be the No. 1 pick in the NHL Draft is what the Canadiens front office and amateur scouting staff will have to grapple with between now and July 7. But as far as we’re concerned, they each have qualities that make them quite appealing.
To give you an idea of what we mean, we asked a set of similar questions to Wright, Slafkovsky and Cooley. We’ll let you draw your own conclusions based on their answers, but if you want to hear more extended interviews with each of them, you can listen to the June 2 episode of The Athletic Support podcast.
When you think of Montreal as a hockey market, what comes to mind?
Shane Wright: I think it’s pretty incredible the fan base they have there, one of the most passionate fan bases in the entire NHL. If you have the chance to play for a team like that and a fan base like that, they obviously expect a lot on the ice and they want to win. But they also like you. Those fans, they love you as a player and they accept you as their own. So playing in front of a fan base like that would be a pretty cool experience, definitely a lot of fun.
Juraj Slafkovsky: A lot of fans! Yeah, they love to win and they hate to lose, and if the team is losing, they can get pretty mad. That’s how it looks from Europe, and that’s what I heard.
Logan Cooley: I just think they’re a passionate fan base, they were real historic for winning championships back in the day. To be able to play with an Original Six team would be pretty special, to wear that jersey would be unbelievable.
What are you most satisfied with about your season? Least satisfied?
Wright: I think my decision-making with the puck, understanding where to go on the ice, different situations on the ice is what brings me the most success and is really my best asset as well … I think as well, my maturity as a player, my maturity to be able to play in more situations, being able to kill penalties, being able to take faceoffs, being able to play in more situations and perform well in every situation rather than in the past, kind of being in those situations but not being as successful as I’d like to be …
(But) I think a couple of times, a lot of the time, I was maybe gripping my stick a little too tight. I think a lot of time I was trying to make the perfect play, trying to make the perfect pass, maybe it’s a saucer pass through skates or a tough pass across there. Trying to make a perfect play rather than just kind of react, letting my instincts take over and just making a play that’s maybe simpler, but also just kind of react to what the defenders are giving you, react to where my teammates are. Sometimes where I ran into trouble is where I overthink too much, overthink the situation or the decisions I was making.
Slafkovsky: I’m happy that I showed myself that I can score some goals. The least happy? I think I would say just overall how I played the first half of the season. I was like, kind of scared to make up things and to really shoot the puck and score or make something … I think it was about confidence. I felt like I had those skills and skating and everything, but maybe there was a lack of the confidence. I wasn’t so confident, so it looked like maybe struggling a bit. But after the Olympics, I felt amazing on the ice in every game.
Cooley: I think I had a really good season, I put up a really good amount of points per game. That was kind of my goal, to produce a lot more than my 17-year-old year, and I did that. One thing that I wish I could have done a little bit more is be more consistent. I think I showed it a little bit, and as the season went along I was much better.
Logan Cooley. (U.S. NTDP)
How would you describe yourself as a hockey player?
Wright: I’m not a flashy guy, I’m not a guy who will go end to end with blazing speed and stickhandle through defenders. I think my game is a little more cerebral, a little more decision-making, a little more quick plays that maybe go unnoticed at times. Decisions, understanding where to go on the ice — that’s what my game is. I’m less about the flashy, really noticeable plays that make you go ‘wow’. I think my game can translate, also, and leads to a lot of success. There’s different ways you can have success, there’s different ways to be a good player. That’s just kind of the way I play.
Slafkovsky: I think I would say a power forward with skill and with creativity that can score and make a good pass. I like (Mikko Rantanen a lot), how he plays. I like to watch his game, but obviously he’s far away from me. I just look to him.
Cooley: I’m a complete player, a two-way player, very dynamic, electrifying player. I like to win, too — I’m a winning player, I like to be on successful hockey teams. I like to be with successful teammates too, and help a team win a championship.
Who is your biggest inspiration?
Wright: (Sidney) Crosby was always that guy for me. Growing up he was my favourite player, he was my role model, the guy I always watched. The Penguins were my favourite team as well as a kid, so he would definitely be the guy that comes to mind.
Slafkovsky: I think it was Marian Hossa. When I was growing up, he was on the rise and he was the best Slovak player in the league and I think he was one of the best players in the league also. He won three Cups and his career was amazing. And I went also to Chicago to watch a game. First time I watched it was 2013, the other time it was 2016. It was great. I bought a jersey and all that stuff. Took some nachos and pizza and I was just enjoying my time watching the hockey!
Cooley: It’s kind of my whole family, but more important, my brother Eric. I think we’ve always been pushing each other to be at our best. Watching him having a good chance of playing college hockey when I was real young made me want to do that. Now that this stuff’s kind of coming true, I think that goes to him.
Juraj Slafkovsky at the NHL Scouting Combine. (Arpon Basu / The Athletic)
Being your draft year, knowing scouts were watching you all season long and that they want to see certain things, how might that have impacted the way you play, if at all?
Wright: It’s really important to find a balance. You’ve got to manage those expectations, you’ve got to manage what those people are saying about you and just those different experiences and manage what those outside people are saying. There’s a lot of people that say stuff and a lot of people that say things that don’t matter as much. What matters more is focusing on what you think of yourself and what are the coaches saying about your play and what your teammates are saying as well, and try to block out and tune out that other stuff as best as possible.
Slafkosvsky: Usually I try not to think about all those things, that someone is watching and (that) stuff. I just try to play my game, no matter what happens. I feel like when I do not overthink that much and just focus on my game, it’s even easier for me to play and it looks better also.
Cooley: Scouts know when you’re being a selfish player, and that’s not who I am at all. Using your teammates and finding open ice is the way that hockey’s played, and playing a mature game is what they’re looking for and that’s what I try to do.
How important is it to you to be the No. 1 overall pick in the draft?
Wright: For sure it’s important to me. It’s always been my motivation. I always want to push myself to be the best. I’m a competitive guy, I want to be the best, I want to be the best player in the draft, I want to be that first overall pick. It’s always been my motivation, always been the thing that’s pushing me to be the best I can be.
Slafkovsky: Right now, I feel like it’s maybe closer than it was, for example, three months ago. Of course I want it, but I always say it’s not important when you get drafted, but where and if you get a good chance to play. That’s the most important thing at the end of the day. Being first overall would mean a lot, but I’m just letting it go, and just not (trying) to think about it that much.
Cooley: To be able to compete against the other top guys, like a guy like Wright or Slafkovsky, I love that. I love competing against those guys and to be the best out of all of them. That’s my goal and I love that feeling … No guy wants to be second or third or fourth. But you want to go to a team that wants you, you don’t want to go to a team that has a few questions about you. You want to go to a team that believes in you and has confidence in you that you can help them win games for their franchise.
(Top photo of Shane Wright: Robert Lefebvre / OHL Images)
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