Like Lane Hutson, Ivan Demidov is a very special player, who is smoking hot with the St. Petersburg SKA in the KHL. The 19-year-old was recently named rookie of the last week on the Russian circuit with four points (two goals and two assists) in two games, in addition to an average playing time close to 20 minutes.
Let’s say that the visit of Kent Hughes and his acolytes greatly helped the cause of Demidov, who had to deal with the mood swings of his head coach, Roman Rotenberg.
That said, by achieving such a feat, Demidov won this prize for a sixth time this season, thus leveling Eeli Tolvanen, who achieved this feat during the 2017-18 campaign.
The best part is that the KHL schedule still isn’t over, so he could pick up some more rookie of the week titles by the end of this one. Let’s say that number 91 seems alone in the world among the under-20s on this circuit, which is not disconcerting.
-Note that, since the start of this 2024-25 calendar, Demidov has allowed himself an impressive haul of 35 points, including 15 goals, in 44 games. This number of points also allows him to be second among his team’s points scorers, behind Sergei Plotnikov.
His arrival in North America, more precisely in Montreal, is certainly expected, he who should start the 2025-26 calendar with a Montreal Canadiens jersey on his back. His potential is as grandiose as that of Lane Hutson, so, if everything goes as planned, he could/should dominate from his first skates on the Bettman circuit.
His innate and overly developed hockey sense makes him an impressive player to watch. And his incredible talent makes him an exciting player to watch, just like Lane Hutson.
