Habs Prospect Report: Ivan Demidov Scores Beautiful Goal

Montreal Canadiens prospect Ivan Demidov possesses an impressive skill set, but it’s only fair to say his opportunities to prove his worth have been limited this season with SKA Saint-Petersburg.

Of course, we have to allow for a different point of view in this case. Canadiens fans want their prospects to receive as much ice time as possible, while teams are focused on winning games. Besides, it’s perfectly normal to see a young player have to work for his ice time.

But despite his solid play, not to mention the Rookie Of The Month accolade he received, Demidov was relegated to the fourth line at times, and even worse, as the team’s extra skater. His reward for producing in a difficult situation was a decrease in ice time. Keep in mind, SKA is a mid-tier team in the standings at the moment, and offence has been difficult to come by, especially when you consider they have one of the most expensive rosters in the league.

When the media in Russia questioned head coach Roman Rotenberg regarding his questionable use of the elite prospect, he delivered an entertaining diversion as a response, but the confusing answer was closer to a Cold War fever dream than a legitimate answer you’d expect from a professional coach. While it’s true many outlets have discussed Demidov’s ice time, the idea that social media posts and articles in Canada can influence ice time in a Russian league is incredibly far-fetched.

SKA coach Roman Rotenberg today with a not-so-subtle reference to Ivan Demidov’s low ice time:

“I know that in Canada they write all sorts of articles at the instigation of American agents…”

👇👇👇 pic.twitter.com/tszI3jNhyc

— /r/Habs (@HabsOnReddit) October 12, 2024

Ivan Demidov Watch

On Tuesday, Demidov was promoted to the third line, and the decision to stop sandbagging one of their own players paid off for SKA, as the Canadiens prospect scored less than five minutes into the first period.

There are two noteworthy aspects of this play, with the first being how Demidov anticipated the collapse from defenders, and exploited the open ice in a high-danger area to score his fifth goal of the year. The second is how poorly the Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk defenceman read the situation. We’re not pointing it out to remove any of the shine from Demidov’s great goal, but it’s a good reminder that the level of play in the KHL is much lower than what we experience in the NHL.

Regardless, it was a very nice play from one of the youngest players in the league, and it happened immediately after he was given a slight uptick in usage and slightly better linemates. He dealt with the adversity in the best possible manner, an encouraging sign from the 18-year-old forward. Demidov now has five goals and four assists in 16 games, which means he’s just one goal short of co-leading the team in scoring.

A slightly longer video of #GoHabsGo Ivan Demidov’s very nice goal today. Not quite end-to-end, but he covered a lot of ice before the controlled entry + snipe. pic.twitter.com/4a28F7Qaf5

— Marc Dumont (@MarcPDumont) October 15, 2024