Montreal Canadiens prospect Ivan Demidov, playing with SKA St. Petersburg, continues to impress in the KHL with impressive rookie performances. Last week, he earned “Best Rookie” honors for the third time, the second time in a row, accumulating six assists over three games, a streak that included four assists in a single game against Kunlun Red Star on Oct. 23. The forward also ended the week with a plus-7 rating.
Demidov, only 18, is developing rapidly in his first full KHL season, now ranking fifth in SKA scoring while maintaining a strong defensive presence with three blocked shots and three interceptions. He has now a solid 16 (5+11) points in 20 games, playing alongside former NHL Stanley Cup champion Evgeny Kuznetsov and Sergei Plotnikov. SKA is currently the second seed in the league’s Western Conference, and it should be a long season for the rookie forward, whose entry-level contract in the KHL runs through May 2025.
The KHL rookie of the year title has gone to several notable players who later succeeded in the NHL, such as Andrei Vasilevskiy and Yegor Chinakhov. If Demidov maintains this trajectory, he could join their ranks in the near future as a standout player transitioning to North America. Demidov was a fifth overall pick for the Habs at the 2024 selections.
