It’s easy to suggest Demidov is arguably the most talented prospect in the history of the organization. In 2022-23, he scored 19 goals and 45 assists as a 17-year-old, the most productive season in league history for someone of his age group. On top of scoring 23 goals and 37 assists in just 30 games last season, the 18-year-old produced a ridiculously impressive 11 goals and 17 assists in 17 games of playoff hockey, yet another league record.

Unfortunately, his historic run came to an early end when he suffered a knee injury while trying to split defenders, but thanks to the Hab Prospect Videos YouTube channel, we have ample Demidov highlights available to analyze and admire. The videos are timestamped to specific plays for your viewing convenience.

Before we delve into the highlights, we have to clear a few things up to preemptively disarm those who tend to only focus on the negative aspects of prospect analysis. The MHL is the Russian equivalent to the CHL in terms of league tiers, but the overall quality of the players is lower than what we see in the QMJHL, OHL, and WHL. We will get a much better idea of Demidov’s potential in the upcoming season, as he’s expected to be playing in the KHL, the Russian equivalent to the NHL. On that note, just because Demidov was playing with players of his own age group doesn’t mean his production in the MHL is to be ignored. The fact of the matter is that he was significantly better than every player in the league, as evidenced by his record-setting points totals.

It’s also important to note that in hockey analysis, the quality of teammates (QoT) is more important than the quality of competition (QoC), which suggests that Demidov will be in a situation next season that is much more conducive to scoring, as he will be playing with better linemates, though that advantage may be nullified depending on how much ice time he’s given.

Ivan Demidov Goes End-To-End

Demidov closed out his season with a fantastic end-to-end goal, one among many of similar plays he created out of thin air for SKA-1946 St. Petersburg. A few things are worth noting in this play, including his how quickly he separated himself from the F1 and F2 forechecks. He also opts to maintain control of the puck, though it’s not a matter of greed. His teammates aren’t in an ideal position to accept a pass, making his decision to go end-to-end the best possible option. His pre-shot movement while using opposing defencemen as a screen is a textbook example of how to make an impact when you’re outnumbered whilst in a high-danger scoring area.