Juraj Slafkovsky's former coach gives the key to the Slovak's success to Martin St-Louis

I see him in the NHL. That's where I would like to use him. He's big and strong enough and skates well. Plus, the Habs are in a rebuild. They'll be able to be patient with the young guys and develop them well.

He's already played against men at the Olympics and the World Cup. He has that experience. I also think Simon Nemec can make the jump to the NHL this year with the Devils."

"Juraj was playing better internationally than in the Liiga. My explanation was quite simple. I let him play, I allowed him to express himself. I wanted him to stay aggressive, to skate, to be good at forechecking and he liked that. In Finland, we told him to play the trap, to fall back, to cut off passes for a counterattack. He's better when you let him breathe. And he'll return the favour by working really hard."

"I think he'll arrive in Montreal at a good time. The CH is banking on a good coach in Martin St-Louis. Marty will help him a lot, he knows what it takes to be a dominant player in the NHL. He will give him time. I think Marty will give him his freedom and let him blossom.

Juraj will make mistakes, but Marty will correct them with him. They will work together. He will not try to hold him back. A coach has to live with mistakes and work to correct them. I never yelled at Juraj behind the bench. I would tell him when he made a blunder, I would do it in a gentle, positive way."