Comparing Ivan Demidov to past Russian draft picks ahead of first KHL game

Montreal Canadiens fans won't have to wait another month to watch meaningful hockey games if they can watch SKA St. Petersburg's first game of the season on Thursday. They will take on Magnitogorsk at 10 AM ET, with Ivan Demidov making his regular season debut with the squad. Demidov earned a spot on the team with a stellar preseason, where he sometimes dominated the competition while playing with the Russia U23 team at the Puchkov Tournament. Demidov's dominance carried over to the final game against his SKA team, where he had a goal, an assist, and the shootout winner.

Ivan Demidov's comparables

It seems like Demidov will play one season with SKA and then come to North America for the 2025-26 season. It's easy to compare Demidov to some Russian players before him who have taken the same path, so what kind of season could we be looking at for the diminutive winger?

Nikita Kucherov

The Tampa Bay Lightning drafted Nikita Kucherov with the 58th overall pick in the 2011 draft. He split the following season between CSKA Moskva in the KHL and Krasnaya Armiya Moskva in the MHL. Kucherov had just 1 goal and 4 assists in 18 KHL games the season following the draft, which looks like it may get blown out of the water by Demidov.

We can't confidently say that Demidov will be better than Kucherov when he comes to the NHL, but it's safe to say he is better than him to this point. It looks like Demidov will play most, if not all, of the season with SKA, and should be able to tally some points.

If Demidov does become the next Kucherov, what can the Canadiens and their fans expect? Possibly at least four 100-point seasons and some Hart Memorial Trophy nominations.

Vasily Podkolzin

The Vancouver Canucks drafted Vasily Podkolzin with the tenth overall pick in the 2019 draft. Podkolzin played 30 games in the following season with SKA, scoring five goals and six assists in 35 games. He was in and out of the lineup, but the development helped him debut with the Canucks the following season. It's easy to compare these two players because of the SKA and top-ten draft pick connection, but the Canadiens are hoping he contributes more than 35 points over his first three NHL seasons.

Vitali Kravtsov

The New York Rangers drafted Vitali Kravtsov with the ninth overall pick in the 2018 draft. He wasn't the highest drafted Russian prospect, as Andrei Svechnikov went second overall to the Carolina Hurricanes. However, Svechnikov played his draft season in the OHL and was a Hurricane for the 2018-19 season. Kravtsov was the highest drafted player who returned to Russia the following season, playing 50 games with Traktor Chelyabinsk. He tallied eight goals and 13 assists on a weaker squad.

Demidov won't get as many opportunities as Kravtsov in his KHL season, but the Canadiens also hope he can develop more in the SKA system. Kravtsov has been another bust after coming over from Russia, and is now back playing with Traktor for the last two seasons.

This exercise has been done to show that we shouldn't overreact about Demidov's KHL season. Kucherov had the least success out of these three players in his Draft +1 year, but turned into a superstar. If Demidov struggles to open the season, don't overreact. If he scores three points on Thursday in the opener, don't start planning the future Stanley Cup parade.