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Ivan Demidov - Montreal Canadien

Would be incredible if Habs are somehow able to buy Demigod’s way out of his final MHL contractual year, to have him play in Laval.
 
Artyom Levshunov was No. 2 on my list for most of this season, but Demidov’s play during the MHL playoffs (which unfortunately ended due to a lower-body injury just prior to SKA winning the championship) crystalized him behind Macklin Celebrini down the stretch. He’s got the most individual puck skill in the class but I’ve also heard good things about his work ethic on and off the ice and he has developed some layers to his game so that he’s not a one-trick pony as a dancing offensive zone player.

Demidov is a skill-first playmaking forward who finished third in the MHL in scoring last year (extremely rare for a player that age in a league typically dominated by 19- and 20-year-olds) and played at a higher point-per-game pace than the two players in front of him alongside his older brother, Semyon. This season, after a strong preseason with SKA, he won a KHL job out of camp but played little and then, after bouncing between levels trying to rediscover his game, injured his knee and missed a month and a half. After returning, he tore up the MHL with one multi-point game after another and five to 10 shots a night, putting together one of the most productive extended stretches of play ever at Russia’s top junior level and making pretty goals look casual.

He’s on the older side as a December 2005, but it sounds like he’s dedicated to getting stronger, he's a true play creator and you want the puck in his hands so he can slip around the ice to make things happen for himself or his linemates. His ability to get off the wall to the middle, either with the puck on his stick into traffic (though I think he falls back on his heel-to-heel skating a little too much), his manipulation one-on-one, his knack for dodging sticks and checks, and his passing through layers to the weak side of coverage are all very unique. And while his skating in straight lines doesn't always look smooth, he's still a fast skater and very shifty side to side. He's got elite handling (though he can get himself into trouble trying to beat two or three guys in a crowd, he also often beats multiple guys in a sequence) and made more one-on-one skill plays this season (including, unabated, in the postseason) than almost any prospect I've scouted for any draft. He’s also a pretty engaged off-puck player who keeps his feet moving, hunts pucks on the forecheck, and can turn a steal into a game-breaking play in an instant. Demidov’s one of the most purely talented prospects to come out of Russia in recent memory (his game also has more of a pro style, competitiveness and roundedness to it than Matvei Michkov's had at the same age) and scouts really like him. He profiles as a point-producing star winger and PP specialist.
 
Rolex said:
Does it bother you that he's dominated at a lower level in Russia ?

How would that translate to the OHL for example....
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It actually does not. Talent is talent. He had no input in the level of competition he was facing. He seems smart and talented enough to adapt to higher competition.
 

View: https://x.com/arponbasu/status/1807244077156421981?s=46&t=a3HPp5YfHU2XDo78oSJMFA

But there is more information to be found with boots on the ground, and the Canadiens were very fortunate to have the boots of co-director of amateur scouting Nick Bobrov, a Russian citizen, on the ground to watch Ivan Demidov.
Not only did Bobrov meet several times with Demidov and his family, but he got to see a side of him that does in fact shine through on video, but is only accentuated when you are there in perso
“I guess the one thing is seeing him practice, and how hard he works, how relentless he is on and off the ice, how much time he spends on his craft,” Bobrov said Saturday after the completion of Day 2 of the draft. “We have other kids, other players who work so relentlessly on their craft that it’s almost too much. Ivan falls into that category of when you watch him play games, it’s exciting. But when you watch him work in practice, you get even more excited because he would be in a very unique category of people who just never stop. So that’s very impressive.”
There were a few teams who were able to get decision-makers into Russia, which is a massive commitment. Western credit cards don’t work in Russia due to financial sanctions over the ongoing war in Ukraine. Crossing the border into Russia is not a simple process by any stretch. And then there’s the inherent chaos of being in a country at war.
This is part of the reason why the Canadiens are this excited about Demidov. They saw sides of him that most other teams didn’t. And it also helps explain why meeting with him in Florida last week at the Gold Star showcase event was less important to them than hiding their intentions so close to the draft.
When Kent Hughes mentioned Friday night that the Canadiens had Demidov on their radar last year when they took David Reinbacher at No. 5 instead of a forward, that was only part of the story. Bobrov’s father, Sergei, has been a scout for SKA Saint Petersburg for 15 years. He had insight on Matvei Michkov most other teams did not have, and he also had insight on Demidov. He’s been on the Canadiens’ radar for far longer than one year.
“We’ve known Ivan for a number of years now because of my dad’s position and knowing young players in that organization is a big part of his job,” Bobrov said. “So we knew the kid, the family really well. I was fortunate enough to get there a couple of times and spend time with him and his family. We felt that we might have a chance at him, but not a significant one. It worked out, and clearly he was very happy to end up in Montreal. His family was looking forward to that.
“Part of the reason he wanted to be in Montreal was because he loves pressure. He embraces pressure and thrives on it. Sometimes we ask kids whether or not they will be OK playing in this city. He was begging for it. So that’s a good sign.”
That last part is the kicker. Demidov embracing pressure is a big part of what the Canadiens look for.
“His ceiling is as high as some of the best players in the league,” Bobrov said. “And he expects nothing less than that from himself, which is the most important part.”
Director of scouting Martin Lapointe called Demidov “the steal of the draft.” Bobrov said that was “an understatement.” The Canadiens are over the moon about this pick, this player, and the additional information Bobrov was able to gather on the ground is a big reason why
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