Every once in a while, you run into a player who reminds you why this sport still tugs at the heart. For me right now, that’s the Montreal Canadiens Juraj Slafkovský. Hard to believe he was the kid who stole the show at the 2022 Olympics—seventeen years old, wide-eyed, scoring seven goals in seven games, and somehow walking away with MVP honours. Most of us were trying to pass high-school math at that age; he was carrying a country.

Slafkovský Returns to the Olympics Four Years Later Ready for More.

Now it’s 2026, and he’s back on the Olympic stage in Milan. But this time, he’s not a surprise. He’s a Canadiens regular, a bigger, stronger, more confident version of that same kid, and he’s stepping into a tournament loaded with NHL players. Different stage, different pressure, but somehow he looks like he’s been waiting for this exact moment.

What I love most is how much representing Slovakia still means to him. Some players take the international play as a bonus. Not Slafkovský. You can hear it in everything he says. He jokes that being from a small country means fewer cameras and fewer critics, but you can also tell he carries the place in his back pocket. “I’ve dreamed about this since I was little,” he said. And it doesn’t sound like a line—it sounds like truth.

Small Country or Not, Slafkovský Faces Expectations.

The expectations are real, though. Nobody sees him as the young phenom anymore. He’s a guy Slovakia needs to lean on. Slafkovský knows it, too. “People will look to me,” he admitted. But he also made it clear he’s not trying to be the hero every shift. He just wants to help, play his game, and do his part. That’s a smart young man. Olympic tournaments have a way of chewing up players who try to do everything at once.

His coach, Vladimir Orszagh, is trying to keep things grounded. He keeps reminding everyone that Slovakia only wins as a group. “We need all hands on deck,” he said. And he’s right. But you can’t ignore the fact that Slafkovský is becoming the heartbeat of this team—whether he asks for it or not.

Slafkovský Is No Longer Just a Youngster with Promise.

Watching him now, you get the sense that this is a crossroads. He’s no longer the kid with promise; he’s the guy Slovakia believes in. And he seems ready. Ready for tougher matchups, louder buildings, and bigger moments.

If he catches fire again, don’t be surprised. Some players shrink under Olympic lights. Juraj Slafkovský tends to glow.