Montreal Canadiens' Juraj Slafkovsky is learning to trust his shot early in his NHL career.

WASHINGTON (AP) – Juraj Slafkovski met with Slovakia's ambassador to the United States and his staff after a meeting. the first two-goal game of his young careerafter signing shirts, he smiled and posed for pictures with people from home, who are also big fans.

“They love the game,” Slafkowski said. “It's great to see that people care and they come to see these games.”

They came to watch Slafkovsky, who won the title in 2022 the first Slovak player taken together #1 pick in the NHL draft and is currently in the middle of his second professional season With the Montreal Canadiens. He is became a choice The top seed in the draft in part because he has shown in previous months that he can score with impeccable production – and the 19-year-old is now learning to trust his shot.

“Everyone,” he said, telling him to shoot more. Maybe not Ambassador Radovan Jaworczyk, but certainly his teammates and coaches will see what Slafkowski can do in practices and games.

“I try, but sometimes I see someone else and try to pass, and then find out that it's not the best option,” Slafkowski said. “I'll keep shooting, I guess.”

Easier said than done for the 6-foot-3, 230-pound pass-first playmaker, who is only two years out. break performance according to 2022 Beijing Olympics. He helped Slovakia win its first Olympic medal of any kind in hockey, was named the tournament's MVP, and then earned a point at the world championships that spring.

Slafkovsky scored four goals and six assists in 39 games an injury-plagued rookie year With Montreal. He scored 22 points, 9 goals and 13 assists in 50 games this season.

Its shooting is still going on.

“It's progress,” coach Martin St. Louis said In the hall of fame as a player. “He will continue to develop in this department. You always find a way to reinvent yourself. With such a young player, he works on his shot every day.”

Slafkowski scored three goals in the last two games around the All-Star break, and St. Louis was happy to see that work rewarded with the puck in the back of the net. Slafkowski is slowly building the confidence his teammates hope will allow him to take flight.

“You can see the confidence in his hitting now,” forward Jake Evans said. “Both of them were complete pilots. It's very important for him because when you have a guy who has his own shot, who is confident like that, it's very lethal and it helps our team a lot.”

Is Evans telling Slafkowski to shoot more? At first he said, “Shoot!” he shouts. but he won't be the guy to deliver the message.

He leaves it to team-mates Cole Caufield and captain Nick Suzuki, who sympathize with the young player who wants to hang on.

“I remember always wanting to give it to the other guys, but when you have a shot, you have to take it,” Suzuki said. “We're trying to set him up to shoot, so he has to have that mindset, and he's doing a better job of that now.”

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