The Habs Top 10 Prospects: #1 Ivan Demidov

One of the best moments in an exciting 2024-25 Habs season, which saw the team squeak into the playoffs, was watching Demidov take over the game in his first NHL period against the Chicago Blackhawks. During that period, Demidov showed his amazing vision by feeding Alex Newhook with a beautiful pass on the slot for a goal. A few minutes later, Demidov gets a breakaway off a puck that bounces off the boards and then uses his elite stickhandling to deke out the Blackhawks’ netminder for his first NHL goal. In terms of a first NHL goal, it really couldn’t have looked any better. At the end of the night, the Canadiens lost the game, but there was serious buzz about Demidov finally being in Montreal.

After going 5th overall to the Habs in the 2024 NHL Entry Draft, Demidov set KHL records for most points by a teenager in the league, finishing with 19 goals and 49 points in 65 games for SKA St. Petersburg. This was especially impressive, since for a big part of the season (it was because he refused to re-sign a KHL contract), Demidov barely received any ice time, but he made the most of his ice time and put up the most points on SKA. It is incredibly rare for a teenager to lead his team in points, much less a player on a big KHL team like SKA St. Petersburg.

Once his KHL season ended, Demidov was able to sign his entry-level contract and play the final two games of the Habs’ regular season and playoffs. He proved that he was NHL-ready, but the playoffs were not without their challenges. Still, Demidov managed to put up 2 assists in 5 playoff games by playing a key power play role.

There is no denying that Demidov is a special talent that can become just as good as the likes og Nikita Kucherov of the Tampa Bay Lightning, or Kirill Kaprizov of the Minnesota Wild. Both players are elite Russians in the NHL.

Demidov sees himself as a combo of Kaprizov and Jack Hughes when describing his play style to the Habs management in his draft interviews.

Demidov has a very similar skating style to both those players and also has similarly smooth hands to his fellow Russian in Kaprizov. It has been so long that the Habs have needed a game-breaking talent at forward, and Demidov seems like he could become the answer to that need.

On top of his elite talent, Demidov has an impeccable work ethic when it comes to hockey. This summer has shown just that, as he can be found almost every morning skating at the Canadiens’ practice facility. He has particularly gained chemistry with Patrik Laine, as mentioned in another article earlier last week. The fact that Demidov lives and breathes hockey is a good sign that he has the right mindset to become the superstar that he is destined to be.

For this upcoming season, the Russian forward is the favorite to win the Calder Trophy as the NHL’s rookie of the year. If Demidov does win it, he and defenseman Lane Hutson could be the first teammates to win the trophy in back-to-back years since Bobby Orr and Derek Sanderson with the Boston Bruins in the late 1960s. Demidov may get close to a point per game in his first full NHL season.

Demidov’s potential is a superstar, and everything in his work ethic and attitude indicates that Demidov will get there. This is why he is the best prospect in the Canadiens’ pipeline.

You can go to the Habs’ practice facility on the south shore of Montreal nearly every morning around 9:00 am ET this summer to watch Demidov and other Habs players skating and working on various skills.

Read why defenseman David Reinbacher is the Habs’ 2nd-best prospect by clicking here.