A Spotlight on Ivan Demidov

Our third and final spotlight is on Ivan Demidov.

While not in the 2025 Draft, Rotowire placed Demidov in the top 50 list for newcomers to the NHL in 2025-2026. In the 2024–25 KHL season, he led SKA with 49 points (19 goals, 30 assists) in 65 games, and according to ESPN was "the highest-scoring under-20 player in KHL history for a season."

He was released from his contract from St. Petersburg and signed a 3-year deal with Montreal late last season, playing two games for the Habs registering a goal and an assist. You can see his full stats here from Hockey DB.

If we take his 2024-2025 performance with St. Petersburg, he scored a respectable 0.754 Points per Game. Translating this using the NHLe into his potential performance in the NHL, we get 0.339 Points per Game – so a projected 28 Points for the season. While the sample is small, his performance across the first 4 games of the season is 0.429 Points per Game, so a projected 35 Points assuming a consistent baseline.

But, we think there's more fuel in the tank with Demidov, so his NHLe doesn't really do him justice. He's got good size and skill and is an elite prospect. With better usage (e.g., power play, top-6 minutes) or continued development, his numbers could go beyond a projected 35 Points for the season.

Given his tools and what he’s shown so far:

• If everything aligns (role, health, adjustment), he could become a 40–50 point forward in the NHL.
• He likely won’t immediately be a 70+ point player in his first few seasons, but mid-range top-6 or middle-6 forward is a realistic target.
• If he becomes a reliable play-driver, power play contributor, and maintains offensive creativity, he could outpace the baseline NHLe projection.

And where Macklin Celebrini will have an additional layer of stress and pressure to perform on an underperforming team, the Canadiens are starting on a high in the league.

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