To justify his decision to keep Ivan Demidov in Russia for an additional season, SKA Saint Petersburg head coach Roman Rotenberg promised to take jealous care of the development of this first choice of the Canadiens, fifth overall, in June.
“I’ve discussed his development with the Canadiens management,” Rotenberg said in an interview with Russian colleagues last week. “He can’t rush things. We want to make him a leader. When he proves himself on a first line with SKA and scores goals like he did in junior last year, everyone will benefit. There’s no point in him playing a season on a fourth line in Montreal or even in the American League.”
Despite the fine words, there was room for skepticism. At the same age last year, Philadelphia Flyers first-round pick Matvei Michkov was scratched from the lineup in the opening game, played barely six minutes in the second, and was loaned to one of the league’s worst clubs for the rest of the season, Sochi HC. It was a somewhat cavalier way to treat someone some called the Connor Bedard Russian…
Michkov was experiencing what many Russian hopefuls have experienced before him at KHL powerhouses. Former Canadiens defenseman Alexander Romanov can attest to this: he was given meager minutes with CSKA Moscow despite all his potential.
Demidov and SKA St. Petersburg were playing their opening game on Thursday and Rotenberg was consistent: the Canadiens’ hopeful played the game as part of a trio led by the team’s new star and captain, former Capitals star Evgeny Kuznetsov.
St. Petersburg’s No. 91 participated in the power play and even got an assist on the first goal of the game, a routine play, followed by a nice move by the defender, but a point nonetheless. Demidov played just over 14 minutes, a very respectable amount of time for an 18-year-old rookie at a renowned club like SKA, in a game lost 5-4 in overtime against Metallurg.
This won’t be the place to analyze all of his matches, obviously, but since this was his first, why not take a look?
His individual skills are well-known. In his third appearance on the ice, he seizes the puck in his own territory, gains speed in the neutral zone, easily beats the defender by making a pass to himself using the boards before finding himself alone in front of the goalie, whom he tries to outwit with a backhand feint.
This type of play is a delight for those hungry for highlights, but it doesn’t define the player. But his ability to find open space in the enemy zone and offer himself as a target for a pass, his mobility, his hard work, his constant communication with the members of his trio are all interesting elements to note. He will sometimes tend to make one pass too many, but this is a normal reflex for a rookie.
Demidov will not have to make any adjustments in terms of rink dimensions. SKA plays on an NHL-sized rink, as do most KHL clubs, which opt for either the National League model or the slightly larger Finnish one. Thursday’s game, played at Metallurg Arena, was also of North American dimensions.
His main challenge will be his decision-making with the puck, but since it was a first game of the season, with butterflies in his stomach and the desire not to displease, we will forgive him a few messy plays.
In short, this is a beautiful diamond to polish. CH fans have the right to get excited.