Juraj Slafkovsky is drafted by the Montreal Canadiens first overall at the NHL draft at Bell Centre on July 7, 2022 in Montreal.BRUCE BENNETT/Getty Images
Juraj Slafkovsky was just as shocked as the Bell Centre crowd.
And Shane Wright had to wait a lot longer than expected to hear his name called.
The Montreal Canadiens, who took another Slovak – forward Filip Mesar later in the first round at No. 26 – hosted the first round of the 2022 NHL draft Thursday.
They made sure there was plenty of intrigue.
The Original Six franchise selected Slafkovsky with the No. 1 pick at the league’s first in-person draft since 2019, while Wright – long viewed as the presumptive top selection – fell to fourth overall.
Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes announced the first pick, but was drowned out by the electric crowd response that included both cheers and jeers.
“It was a really big surprise for me,” said the 18-year-old Slafkovsky, who has a big frame and a big personality. “We had meetings, but we don’t get to know almost anything from that meeting. I still could just guess when I was waiting for this.
“But now it’s reality.”
Not everyone in attendance was happy with the selection.
A handful of Canadiens fans sported Wright jerseys with his No. 51 on the back, while the Slafkovsky was booed on the red carpet outside the rink before entering the building on his big night.
“Hockey is their passion as well as mine,” said the 6-foot-4, 229-pound winger, who later waded into the stands and high-fived fans to raucous support. “Maybe some of them didn’t like me.
“But I will do everything that I can [to] play good for this team and they will actually maybe like me one day.”
The top-ranked European skater by NHL Central Scouting starred for his country at both the Beijing Olympics and world championships.
Minutes after picking Slafkovsky first overall, the Canadiens were right back at work and adding more the evening’s drama.
The first team to host and pick first since the Toronto Maple Leafs grabbed Wendel Clark, Montreal acquired the 13th-overall selection from the New York Islanders for defenceman Alexander Romanov and the 98th pick.
The Canadiens then packaged that selection with the first pick of round three (66th overall) and sent them to Chicago for centre Kirby Dach.
Dach, taken third overall at the 2019 draft, had nine goals and 17 assists in 70 games in 2021-22.
In the process of dismantling their roster for a rebuild, the Blackhawks also traded star forward Alex DeBrincat to the Ottawa Senators for three picks earlier in the day, including Friday’s seventh overall selection.
The New Jersey Devils followed the Slafkovsky stunner and took defenceman Simon Nemec with the second pick. The 6-foot, 199-pound Nemec was also a member of Slovakia’s bronze medal Olympic squad.
“Amazing moment for my family, for me,” said Nemec, who along with Slafkovsky are the highest drafted Slovaks in NHL history.
“Amazing night.”
The Arizona Coyotes then took American centre Logan Cooley of the U.S National Development Program at No. 3.
Wright finally had his name called when the Seattle Kraken stepped to the microphone to make the centre the draft’s fourth selection.
“Definitely going to have a little chip on my shoulder,” said the captain of the Ontario Hockey League’s Kingston Frontenacs. “I’ve always been self-motivated, always been pushing myself internally.
“But it’s definitely gonna give me a little more fire.”
The Philadelphia Flyers tabbed forward Cutter Gauthier of the U.S. National Team Development Program with the fifth overall pick. Gauthier, who collected 34 goals and 31 assists, is committed to play with Boston College.
The Columbus Blue Jackets elevated to the sixth overall pick as part of the Seth Jones trade with the Chicago Blackhawks in July 2021.
Columbus selected defenceman David Jiricek of the Plzen of the Czech Extraliga ahead of the Blackhawks.
With the No. 7 pick acquired from Ottawa, the Blackhawks chose defenceman Kevin Korchinski from the Seattle Thunderbirds of the WHL.
The Detroit Red Wings selected centre Marco Kasper of Rogle of the Swedish Hockey League with the eighth overall pick. The Buffalo Sabres (forward Matthew Savoie, Winnipeg, WHL) and the Anaheim Ducks (defenceman Pavel Mintyukov, Saginaw, OHL) wrapped up the top 10.
The Winnipeg Jets grabbed U.S National Team Development Program winger Rutger McGroarty with the 14th pick before the Vancouver Canucks chose Jonathan Lekkerimaki one slot later.
The draft resumes Friday with rounds two through seven.
League business got going earlier in the day when the Colorado Avalanche acquired goaltender Alexandar Georgiev from the New York Rangers for three picks.
In other hockey news Thursday, veteran goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury re-signed with the Minnesota Wild on a two-year, US$7-million deal. Fleury’s 520 career wins in goal rank third all-time in NHL history. And the Pittsburgh Penguins announced a six-year, US$36.6-million contact extension with defenceman Kris Letang.
Thursday evening started with NHL commissioner Gary Bettman getting roundly booed by the crowd.
“Thank you for that welcome,” he said. “It’s a return to normalcy.”