Canadiens select Slovak Juraj Slafkovsky with the first pick of the NHL draft

The Montreal Canadiens shocked fans at the Bell Centre in selecting Juraj Slafkovsky with the first pick in the NHL Entry Draft.

The 18-year-old Slovakian climbed on stage with a big grin after having his name called in front of family, friends and fans Tuesday night.

• LISTEN to interview with Slafkovsky on TSN 690

The winger and top-ranked North American skater by NHL Central Scouting starred for his country at both the Beijing Olympics and world championships. The pick was a surprise to many who thought the Habs would go with OHL star Shane Wright, who was chosen fourth by the Seattle Kraken.

• LISTEN to GM Kent Hughes explain the Slafkovsky pick on TSN 690

The Slovakian has actually worn a Habs sweater before Thursday night.

The Canadiens Children's Hospital foundation tweeted that Slafkovsky participated in the Canadiens hockey school in 2014 as a young teen.  

* SEE FULL DRAFT BELOW.

Montreal was the first team to both host the draft and pick first since the Toronto Maple Leafs selected Wendel Clark at No. 1 in 1985.

Habs General Manager Kent Hughes said management decided on their pick Wednesday morning after meeting the 6'4", 220-pound winger and being impressed with his personality and charisma.

"He's got a very dynamic personality," said Hughes. "We asked him when was the best moment in hockey and he said, 'when we're winning by a goal or losing by a goal.'"

He said it was important to pick a player who could hold his own in the Montreal market.

"I think we saw the type of reaction that you get here, so we wanted to make sure that he was equipped to deal with that, and that we felt comfortable that he was gonna do what was necessary to be the best player he could be." 

The Canadiens drafted another Slovakian with the 26th pick of the first round in Filip Mesar. The right-handed winger is 5'10" and 175 pounds.

HABS TRADE ROMANOV

The Canadiens acquired the 13th-overall pick from the New York Islanders for defenceman Alexander Romanov and the 98th pick, then packaged the 13th pick with the first pick of the third round (66th overall) and sent them to Chicago for centre Kirby Dach.

Dach, the third-overall pick of the 2019 draft, had nine goals and 17 assists in 70 games in 2021-22.

He showed promise over a small sample size the previous season with two goals and eight assists in 18 games.

The Blackhawks are in the process of dismantling their roster for a rebuild.

Hughes said he was motivated by the desire to get "bigger and faster in the middle of the ice."

"Clearly, in combination with our connection with Juraj, one of the things we set out to do was get bigger and faster. I think we've done that. Ideally we would have traded picks and moved up to be able to make that play. Unfortunately, that wasn't in the cards."

Los Angeles Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick (32) and Chicago Blackhawks center Kirby Dach (77) watch the puck during the third period of an NHL hockey game Tuesday, April 12, 2022, in Chicago. The Kings won 5-2. (AP Photo/Paul Beaty)

The night started with fans at the Bell Centre booing NHL commissioner Gary Bettman, who hosted the draft for the first time in-person since the COVID-19 pandemic began.

A special tribute to Quebecers Mike Bossy and Guy Lafleur followed Bettman's introduction.

The last time the Habs picked number one was in 1980 when they selected Doug Wickenheiser.

FIRST-ROUND DRAFT ORDER:

1. Montreal Canadiens - Juraj Slafkovsky
2. New Jersey Devils - Simon Nemec
3. Arizona Coyotes - Logan Cooley
4. Seattle Kraken - Shane Wright
5. Philadelphia Flyers - Cutter Gauthier
6. Columbus Blue Jackets (from Chicago Blackhawks) - David Jiricek
7. Chicago Blackhawks - Kevin Korchinski
8. Detroit Red Wings - Marco Kasper
9. Buffalo Sabres - Matthew Savoie
10. Anaheim Ducks - Pavel Mintyukov
11. Arizona Coyotes - Conor Geekie
12. Columbus Blue Jackets - Denton Mateychuk
13. Chicago Blackhawks - Frank Nazar
14. Winnipeg Jets - Rutger Mcgroarty
15. Vancouver Canucks - Jonathan Lekkerimaki
16. Buffalo Sabres (from Vegas Golden Knights) - Noah Ostlund
17. Nashville Predators - Joakim Kemell
18. Dallas Stars - Lian Bichsel
19. Minnesota Wild (from Los Angeles Kings) - Liam Ohgren
20. Washington Capitals - Ivan Miroshnichenko
21. Pittsburgh Penguins - Owen Pickering
22. Anaheim Ducks - Nathan Gaucher
23. St. Louis Blues - Jimmy Snuggerud
24. Minnesota Wild - Danila Yurov
25. Chicago Blackhawks - Sam Rinzel
26. Montreal Canadiens - Filip Mesar
27. San Jose Sharks - Filip Bystedt
28. Buffalo Sabres - Jiri Kulich
29. Arizona Coyotes - Maveric Lamoureaux 
30. Winnipeg Jets - Brad Lambert
31. Tampa Bay Lightning - Isaac Howard
32. Edmonton Oilers - Reid Schaefer

QUEBECERS DRAFTED

Of the top four Quebecers drafted, three are headed to Anaheim, California.

• Nathan Gaucher, centre, Chambly - Drafted by the Ducks at 22
• Maveric Lamoureux, defence, Laval - Drafted by the Coyotes at 29
• Tristan Luneau, defence, Victoriaville - Drafted by the Ducks at 53.
• Noah Warran, defence, Montreal - Drafted by the Ducks at 42

Round two begins Friday at 11 a.m.

The remaining Canadiens' picks are as follows:

• Round 2, Pick No. 33 - Owen Beck
• Round 2, Pick No. 62 - Lane Hutson
• Round 3, Pick No. 75 - Vinzenz Rohrer
• Round 3, Pick No. 92 - Adam Engstrom
• Round 4, Pick No. 127 - Cedrick Guindon
• Round 5, Pick No. 130 - Jared Davidson
• Round 6, Pick No. 162 - Emmett Croteau
• Round 7, Pick No. 194 - Petteri Nurmi
• Round 7, Pick No. 216

 With files from The Canadian Press