interesting bit from habs beat reporter..
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.
