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Canadiens' Ivan Demidov Sends Early Message During Training Camp

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Antonio Losada | Last updated Sep 23, 2025 10:00 AM ET

Montreal Canadiens rookie Ivan Demidov has yet to play his first full NHL season, but the 19-year-old is already showing the mentality of a veteran.

The Canadiens’ 2024 first-round pick opened training camp by setting a high bar for himself and his teammates, drawing praise from coaches and teammates for his meticulous approach to the game.

Following a training session on Sunday, Demidov voiced his dissatisfaction with how his unit performed on power-play drills, something that The Athletic's Arpon Basu highlighted as a rare trait among peers of his age and level of experience.

“I think we have something that we can improve,” Demidov said. “We’ve got to be better next time.” When reminded it was only training camp, he doubled down. “Yeah, I know, but still, we’ve got something we need to work on. So we’ll see.”

IVAN DEMIDOV EST BEL ET BIEN RÉVEILLÉ

CAN CONFIRM IVAN DEMIDOV IS AWAKE

WPG 3, MTL 3#GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/dvVt44FIs6
— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) September 14, 2025

Assistant coach Alexandre Carrier is quoted in Basu's story describing the Russian winger as relentless in his drive to get better.

“Having been around him all summer, he’s a perfectionist,” Carrier said. “He’s an unparalleled worker. He just had one practice; obviously, it won’t be perfect. But it shows how much he wants to always improve.”

The Canadiens drafted Demidov with the No. 5 overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft, and he arrived in Montreal with high expectations after posting 49 points in 65 games for SKA Saint Petersburg in the KHL before signing a three-year entry-level contract.

Demidov already joined the Canadiens late last season, making his NHL debut and scoring two points (one goal, one assist) in two regular-season games. He then added two assists in five playoff appearances.

In doing so, he became the youngest player in franchise history to record a multi-point playoff game, surpassing Hall of Famer Henri Richard.

Daily Faceoff projects Demidov to feature in a top-six role this year, his first full season in the NHL. The Russian is also expected to help on the power play after Montreal finished 21st in the NHL last season at 20.1 percent.

Asked about his personal goals for the new season, Demidov avoided mentioning numbers and focused on the team-wide goal of improving based on the accomplishment of reaching the playoffs last season.

“I just (hope to) play well, help our team win,” Demidov said. “That’s my expectation, I think.”

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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