To say Montreal Canadiens fans are excited for the arrival of Ivan Demidov would be a massive understatement.
Drafted fifth overall by the Habs this summer, the Russian forward made his KHL debut last month, quickly adding to the hype surrounding him.
His latest performance with SKA St. Petersburg only fueled that excitement. The 18-year-old notched four points (all primary assists) in SKA’s 8-0 blowout win over Kunlun Red Star on Wednesday.
Demidov’s first point of the night saw him demonstrate patience in the offensive zone to find veteran Sergei Plotnikov for the one-timer.
BELIEVE THE HYPE đź’Ż
Here's a look at #GoHabsGo prospect Ivan Demidov's FOUR primary assists today vs Kunlun. pic.twitter.com/nwvXv86xd6— Hockey News Hub (@HockeyNewsHub) October 23, 2024
The fourth assist in particular was especially sweet as Demidov stole the puck from a Kunlun defender to once again set up Plotnikov in the slot.
Ivan Demidov with his FOURTH assist today to make it 8-0 SKA 🔥
He now has 5G & 10A for 15P in 19GP. pic.twitter.com/l0ateSCRu6
— /r/Habs (@HabsOnReddit) October 23, 2024
Despite a questionable lack of ice time in recent outings and some frustration from overseas, Demidov’s teammates are not surprised by his success in the stats column.
“Attention [Montreal] fans! [Demidov] should have had five points last night. I made up for missing a wide-open chance he gave me in period 1 with this. He is really, really good!” wrote SKA defenceman Tony DeAngelo in a Tuesday X post featuring a highlight clip.
Attention MTL Fans !
Demi should have had 5 points last night. I made up for missing a wide open chance he gave me in period 1 with this. He is really really good! https://t.co/Q62WSGGrRm— Tony DeAngelo (@TDA7724) October 22, 2024
With five goals and 15 points over 19 KHL games, things appear to be going swimmingly for Demidov in his home country’s top league.
But as he rides out the last year of his contract before making his way over to North America for the 2025-26 campaign, the Canadiens’ brass are keeping close tabs on his development
According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, Montreal GM Kent Hughes is planning a trip to Russia to see how things are going for their top prospect.
“The moment the Canadiens drafted him, they made plans that at some point in time, they would eventually go in the season to watch him, visit him, check and see how he is doing,” reported Friedman in the latest Saturday Headlines segment.
“It’s going to take place sometime over the next few weeks to months, but they are going to go over to see him play and perform and practice.”