I love this player, I think his high compete and his details aren't getting enough respect. He's a guy I want on my team in the playoffs.
I don't think 80 or 90 pts is unrealistic for Demidov. But he's not really a Kucherov type, you can really tell on the PP where I don't think Demidov is very special. He doesn't have that one touch sharpness that Kucherov (or Michkov) have. That could be the difference between him being a 75 pt guy and a 100 pt guy. I still overall would rather have Demidov than Michkov.
Also the US National Development team is not at all the same as regular USHL.
It's kind of a similar situation for SKA 1946 and the NTDP, now that you mention it. USHL and MHL are very similar opponents, with the same exact Desjardins equivalencies (how points in the league translates to higher levels). And SKA 1946 and NTDP win big a lot of the time and run up the score against the weaker clubs. Obviously NTDP also has the college part of their schedule too.
The best MHL clubs look like London Knights caliber teams that could win the memorial cup. I'd be really curious how SKA or Loko would look in that tournament. They're loaded. So both NTDP players and SKA 1946 players have opportunities to shine against very good competition. Demidov did shine in the MHL playoffs, though his point scoring rate was a good deal lower.
I don't see Jack Hughes as a good point of reference for Ivan Demidov. It's not just like he's Hughes without the speed, Demidov is a bigger, stronger, more competitive player. He'll pick up more points coming out of the dirty areas.