MONTREAL — 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 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 top pick at the league’s first in-person draft since 2019, while Wright — long viewed as the presumptive top selection — fell to No. 4.
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 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 six-foot-four, 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 six-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 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.”
League business got going earlier in the day when the Colorado Avalanche acquired goaltender Alexandar Georgiev from the New York Rangers for three picks.
The Pittsburgh Penguins, meanwhile, announced a six-year, US$36.6-million contact extension with defenceman Kris Letang.
The 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.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 7, 2022.
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Follow @JClipperton_CP on Twitter.
Joshua Clipperton, The Canadian Press
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