What a goal. He created everything. That move on the defender at the blue line, the perfect pass then rushes the net to give the perfect pass target...
Wow.
F Ivan Demidov - SKA St. Petersburg, KHL (2024, 5th, MTL)
- Thread starter Kshahdoo
- Start date
What a goal. He created everything. That move on the defender at the blue line, the perfect pass then rushes the net to give the perfect pass target...
Wow.
Pavel Buchnevich
"Pavel Buchnevich The Fake"
Yes, I can, and I’m hoping things get resolved so we see the best Russian players there next year.
True but he won’t be there next year regardless.
Even if russia is allowed back Demidov will be too old. It was his last year of eligibility.
And he'll be in the NHL anyway
And he'll be in the NHL anyway
- Jun 22, 2018
- 9,094
- 21,524
Please get him a good center for next year.
I know he might be able to play center in the long run, but for his first year I just want the Habs management to put him in a position to succeed.
Last time we got a forward this talented (Kovalev), he was in the back half of his career. Plus, unlike Kovalev, Demidov actually has good work ethic and a big competitive edge.
I know he might be able to play center in the long run, but for his first year I just want the Habs management to put him in a position to succeed.
Last time we got a forward this talented (Kovalev), he was in the back half of his career. Plus, unlike Kovalev, Demidov actually has good work ethic and a big competitive edge.
kp61c
Registered User
rotenburg aside, it's amazing how easy it was for him to transition from the mhl to khl. didn't expect it at all.
JadedRandom
Registered User
I watched Demidov play all season long in the MHL his draft year, thinking to myself there was no way he was lasting to the Canadiens' pick. But there he was and I was so happy. Moreso considering how livid I was the year prior when the management selected Reinbacher (whom I had 9th in 2023) over Michkov, who was my #2 that year.
Thing is, I watched all those games of Demidov's but I still held some slivers of doubt that he would adapt seamlessly to the KHL.
Demidov's defense in the MHL was good overall but un-energetic, and he would often cheat in favor of offense. I thought this "wouldn't fly" at all in the KHL and might hold him back.
Demidov's edges, agility, and reaction speed were quite clearly elite even then, but I wondered if his explosiveness and straight-line speed would be good enough to afford him the time/space that he needs to create in the KHL. And his 10-2 skating made me doubt whether he could sustain an entire calendar year of play in the KHL, with all the knee-on-knee collisions that that style of skating was prone to cause.
Similarly, I thought that Demidov had some issues fighting through checks in the MHL playoffs against the top teams (those that really challenged SKA, not the weak "Silver Division" MHL teams), and that cast some added amount of doubt in my mind on whether he'd be able to do himself justice in the pros right away, against smarter/stronger/faster players.
But what I feel is a bit understated, and kind of lost in how Demidov has managed to establish himself as a great KHL player right off the bat, is how PRODUCTIVE Demidov's Summer was.
The improvement Demidov showed in several key areas over such a short period of time was kind of crazy to be honest.
He seemed faster on the ice from the get-go at training camp. It might be a result of some targeted training and/or finally being healthy after having played through a high-ankle injury through the year. Either way Demidov was just clearly faster on the ice when he showed up for SKA's training camp this Fall than he was to my eyes in the MHL playoffs last Spring, and in the beginning of his season in Fall 2023.
I also noticed that Demidov seemed to have gotten noticeably stronger on his skates over the Summer, and that helped him a ton when sutaining contact and trying to make a play through it.
Then there were the improvements to his defensive game that I immediately saw at camp; those made me throw all doubts I had about Demidov's game not translating to the NHL straight out of the window.
At camp Demidov was just as strong offensively as he'd ever been in the MHL, but he was coming so much deeper and with much greater alacrity in the defensive zone to help support his D. That was a real eye-opener for me that Demidov could play like that and still retain all of his offensive potency.
But the real clincher for me was when he played against SKA and other KHL teams in the annual mini-tournament that they hold during training camp against top young russian prospects.
Basically, as soon as I saw how Demidov was playing against the pros in those exhibition matches, deking around and through them with ease, out-muscling, out-skating, out-smarting, out-competing them in a lot of different situations, I knew he was gonna have a good year. When I watched further, and saw how Demidov's offensive skills, improved strength and skating, as well as his newfound focus on defensive play all kind of melded into and fed each other, I knew that his season in the KHL wouldn't be a good one but a great one.
That was my personal tipping point, those exhibition games against SKA where Demidov made full-time KHL defensemen miss and look silly.
That's when I knew he was gonna have a great KHL season if Rotenberg played him enough.
kp61c
Registered User
wonder if he will be more open to re-signing with ska if he and his brother get plenty of ice time in ska for the rest of the season. michkov was eager to cross the pond and is slowly busting now. demidov, of course, is a better player, but he should keep it in mind when deciding his future. a couple of years in the khl playing with his brother may be a better option than playing for the disjointed habs in a much more demanding league.
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Hint1k
Registered User
- Oct 27, 2017
- 4,180
- 2,628
Generally speaking it is easy to get more ice time in a team that is not in the run for a playoff spot. Such team would more be concerned with young players development than with standings.
HabbyGuy
Registered User
EbonyRaptor
Registered User
Does anyone have KHL D+1 season stats for Kaprizov, Kuznetsov, Panarin, Michkov, Demidov plus Malkin and Oveckin in RSL? (shots, toi, points/60, etc.)
Just to pique my curiosity.
Just to pique my curiosity.
KirkAlbuquerque
#WeNeverGetAGoodCoach
He'd be co- favourite with celebrini for Calder and he'd keep pace. He's every bit as skilled and he would have less responsibility playing wing, especially if they put him with Suzuki. I don't even know where the ceiling is. Skys the limit for this kid. He's just insane. Can't believe he's a hab. Next year's gonna be fun
FrankMTL
Registered User
- Jan 6, 2005
- 12,655
- 14,927
Here it is for the more recent players...For Malkin and Ovechkin it's hard to compare as the league has changed so much since then.
Here it is:
Kaprizov- 53 GP, 17:21 TOI/G, 133 Shots, 1.76 PTS/60 Mins, 2:57 PP time per game
Kuznetsov- 44 GP, 14:12 TOI/G, 158 Shots, 3.07 PTS/60 Mins, 2:06 PP time per game
Panarin (not drafted, but used the draft + 1 age)- 20 GP, 12:14 TOI/G, 25 Shots, 2.21 PTS/60 Mins 2:02 PP time per game
Michkov- 48 GP, 16:58 TOI/G, 191 Shots, 3.02 PTS/60 Mins 2:55 PP time per game
Demidov- 40 GP, 11:31 TOI/G, 84 Shots, 4.04 PTS/60 Mins, 0:43 PP time per game
The thing that stands out the most is how little powerplay time Demidov has been getting compared to the other 4 players....He just started getting some recently and the results speak for themselves.
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hardcorehabs
Registered User
frederixx
Registered User
- Dec 5, 2005
- 3,087
- 2,068
Michkov busting?
And would any NHL caliber with star potential rather spend an extra 1-2 years in the AHL to play with his brother instead or racking up points in the NHL?
So much non sense in this post. Not sure if you're trolling or not.
frederixx
Registered User
- Dec 5, 2005
- 3,087
- 2,068
I believe Kaprizov had the most points ever for an under 20 in the KHL with 42 (in 49GP). It was his 3rd season in the KHL.
Demidov has 11pts in his last 6GP and a total of 31pts in 40GP. Would be interesting to see if he could beat that record.
Both Malkin and Ovechkin were less productive but it was during the NHL strike and the KHL had a bunch on NHLers that year. So they had less ice time (ironically comparable to Demidov)
Zine
Registered User
- Feb 28, 2002
- 12,425
- 2,619
Kaprizov did. He was adamant about staying in the KHL until he was 100% developed.
Just because a young player could play in the NHL doesn't necessarily mean it's the optimal route to long-term success.
That said, Demidov is off to Montreal next year. That much is certain.
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