When the Montreal Canadiens snagged Russian sniper Ivan Demidov with the fifth overall pick in this summer’s NHL draft, Habs fans erupted in excitement.
Part of the buzz came from many expecting his name to be called even earlier. But more importantly, Canadiens supporters were thrilled to add an offensive gem and potential superstar to their prospect pool.
Despite the hype, questions lingered about Demidov’s development in Europe.
The 18-year-old began last season in the KHL with SKA Saint Petersburg. However, following an early-season injury, he was reassigned to the MLH (Russia’s premier junior league), where he netted 60 points in 30 games.
A touch of panic set in back in July when Demidov missed the early portion of SKA’s development camp due to injury. Luckily, the winger bounced back and made the team.
Habs fans keeping a close eye on Demidov’s development were once again concerned, though, when he got off to a bit of a rough start with the KHL club, going goalless in each of his first three games of the season and being demoted down to the team’s bottom six.
Ivan Demidov's TOI to start the KHL season:
• Game 1: 14:02
• Game 2: 13:36
• Game 3: 10:02On pace for ~9 minutes in game No. 4.
— Cam Robinson (@Hockey_Robinson) September 12, 2024
That all changed after he netted his first KHL goal last weekend, and since then, he’s been on fire.
Ivan Demidov scores first KHL career goal! Evgeny Kuznetsov with primary assist! pic.twitter.com/AIZWR8eGHF
— KHL (@khl_eng) September 15, 2024
Demidov has been heating up lately, highlighted by a standout performance against HC Sochi. He ripped a laser from the hash marks and finished with two goals, two assists, a +4 rating, and a season-high 16:26 of ice time in the 7-4 victory.
The @CanadiensMTL prospect Ivan Demidov with his second #KHL goal. He has one goal and two assists in the game today #GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/HEuSvoqBEn
— Daria Tuboltseva (@DariaTuboltseva) September 19, 2024
Adding another highlight to his reel, this game marked Demidov’s most productive outing of the season. Recognized as player of the game by his teammates, Demidov now has six points in his last six games, placing him 12th overall on the KHL’s scoring leaderboard.
View this post on Instagram
With one year left on his Russian contract, Canadiens fans eagerly await his North American debut as some Montreal stores have already started selling Habs jerseys bearing the prospect’s name.
Alongside recent acquisition Patrik Laine and a healthy Kirby Dach, Demidov could make Montreal’s top six especially dangerous next season.