F Ivan Demidov (2024, 5th, MTL) Part 2

[The Last Red]

Disagree.

You already made that clear.

 

[WhiskeyYerTheDevils]

Top 10? He’s probably top 3, behind only Celebrini and the midget in Chicago.

Disagree.

 

[bud12]

I disagree to disagree

 

[montreal]

Nice Move/Pass 0:57
Was Credited With Assist 1:41
Draws Tripping Call 2:32
Dips Into His Trick Bag 2:44
Nice Move 2:53
Draws Another Trip Call 3:34
Nice Pass Helps Set Up Goal 4:10
Nice Pass 4:57
Defense/Blocks Shot/Should Have Been Trip Call 5:45

 

[montreal]

Shot 4:59
Spinning Shot Attempt 6:12

 

[Nicko999]

Demidov benched in the first 2 periods so far. Playing a total of ZERO MINUTES!!!

I have seen some crazy coaching but never this. Demidov is the team's leading scorer.

 

[EveryDay]

Demidov benched in the first 2 periods so far. Playing a total of ZERO MINUTES!!!

I have seen some crazy coaching but never this. Demidov is the team's leading scorer.

Rottenberg is trying to pass a message I guess, either you sign an extension or you're bench the 9 games remaining of the season.

 

[FrankMTL]

So Demidov ends of being benched the whole game...didn't get a shift.

Imagine being in a scoreless game where you need a goal and you bench your leading scorer.

SKA ends up losing 1-0.....Serves them right.

 

[Ford Prefect]

So Demidov ends of being benched the whole game...didn't get a shift.

Imagine being in a scoreless game where you need a goal and you bench your leading scorer.

SKA ends up losing 1-0.....Serves them right.

Maybe he wants to tarnish the season Demidov's putting up? Adds a GP to his ledger while not actually playing a game. Guy sounds petty enough. Or maybe it's a discipline issue. I believe @montreal indicated he was benched for a portion of the preceding game as well.

 

[Zalos]

SKA is really bad right now. Their performances this year remind me of the NY Rangers in the NHL.

 

[The Gr8 Dane]

Learned about respect and integrity today on the bench

 

[BigDaddyLurch]

Learned about respect and integrity today on the bench

 

[Kshahdoo]

Not sure even Rotenberg understands what he's doing right now. I hope they're already preparing a place in psychiatric hospital for him...

 

[AD1066]

Not sure even Rotenberg understands what he's doing right now. I hope they're already preparing a place in psychiatric hospital for him...

Isn't it pretty common in the KHL for coaches to show favoritism toward veterans over younger players, irrespective of talent? Then factor in Demidov's very high likelihood of leaving next year...I'd imagine Rotenberg knows exactly what he's doing. It's seemingly vindictive behavior, much worse than Torts sitting Michkov.

 

[Kshahdoo]

Oh well, according to Rotenberg Demidov wasn't in his best physical conditions so he decided to not play him. Demidov will play in the next game for sure. At least Rotenberg promises this.

 

[Kshahdoo]

Isn't it pretty common in the KHL for coaches to show favoritism toward veterans over younger players, irrespective of talent? Then factor in Demidov's very high likelihood of leaving next year...I'd imagine Rotenberg knows exactly what he's doing. It's seemingly vindictive behavior, much worse than Torts sitting Michkov.

You can say the same about most of NHL coaches as well.

 

[ViD]

Looks like they benched Kuznetsov for the entire season.

So Demidov is getting an easy punishment

 

[Gustave]

 

[waitin425]

Your 2026 Calder trophy winner.

 

[montreal]

Assist 4:37
Shot 7:38
Pass 9:11
Almost Highlight Reel 9:45

 

[ole ole]

---

Scott Wheeler’s 2025

1. Ivan Demidov, RW, 19 (SKA St. Petersburg)​

Demidov is the most purely skilled forward prospect in the sport and has just broken the KHL’s U20 scoring record, eclipsing the marks previously set by Kirill Kaprizov, Matvei Michkov and Evgeny Kuznetsov.

Last season, Demidov’s play during the MHL playoffs (which ended due to a lower-body injury just prior to SKA winning the championship) crystalized him behind Macklin Celebrini as the No. 2 prospect in the 2024 NHL Draft for me. His play in the last couple of months with SKA in the KHL has done the same for him as one of the top prospects — period — in the game for me. He’s got brilliant individual talent but I’ve also heard good things about his work ethic on and off the ice, he’s in great shape (an athletic 6-foot-0.5 and 190ish pounds) and he has developed some layers to his game so that he’s not a one-trick pony as a dancing offensive-zone player (and he has played to excellent two-way results for a winger in the KHL this season because of it).

Demidov is a skill-first playmaking forward who finished third in the MHL in scoring two years ago (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. Last 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 per game, putting together one of the most productive extended stretches of play ever at Russia’s top junior level and making pretty goals look casual. This season, despite averaging under 13 minutes per game on the year (though he has played 18-to-20-plus of late), he’s still SKA’s second-leading scorer.

Demidov’s a true play creator and you want the puck in his hands so that 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 with the puck on his stick into traffic, his manipulation one-on-one, his knack for dodging sticks and checks, his heel-to-heel maneuvering, his cross-body handles and his passing through layers to the weak side of coverage are all extremely high-end and look singular to him and his very wide stance/unique posture. And while his skating in straight lines doesn’t have your standard look to it and was a topic of conversation pre-draft, 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 has a major highlight reel quality) and has made more one-on-one skill plays over the last two seasons in the MHL and now KHL 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 dynamic and skilled prospects to come out of Russia in recent memory (his game also has more of a pro style, competitiveness and roundedness to it than Michkov’s had at the same age).

He profiles as a point-per-game, first-line, all-star-level winger. I truly believe he’s going to mesmerize in the prime of his career in the NHL.

 

[montreal]

Misses Open Net 1:24
Nice Move 1:48
Assist 2:33
Rips One Wide Chance 3:23
High Stick Penalty 3:39
Pass 7:41

 

[Zalos]

He profiles as a point-per-game, first-line, all-star-level winger. I truly believe he’s going to mesmerize in the prime of his career in the NHL.

I wonder if the Habs will eventually have a Caufield/Suzuki/Demidov line or if they'll split them up for most of their careers at even strength.

 

[Giant Panda]

I wonder if the Habs will eventually have a Caufield/Suzuki/Demidov line or if they'll split them up for most of their careers at even strength.

I don't think so. You need size on the line, someone to clear the corners and keep possession.

Besides, I still want to see the Demidov centre experiment.

 

[Junohockeyfan]

Disagree.

You think he's ahead of Bedard?