Kent Hughes shared a joke with Ivan Demidov at the draft

After watching the Montreal Canadiens draft video many things were made clear, but the clearest of all was how bad Kent Hughes wanted to draft Ivan Demidov.

The four teams drafting ahead of Montreal had to help the Habs out, so Hughes and Habs management, had to be patient. After the first pick was made by the San Jose Sharks - Macklin Celebrini - the real draft started. From picks two to four, the Canadiens watched helplessly hoping for the best.

Thankfully Chicago opted for defenseman Artyom Levshunov, then the Anaheim Ducks opted for forward Beckett Sennecke and finally the Columbus Blue Jackets grabbed power forward/centre Cayden Lindstrom. Music to the Habs ears, that is exactly what pick two through four were. Surely, Demidov's pre-draft interviews were atrocious - as Hughes jokingly said to Demidov.

Hughes grin from ear-to-ear is enough reason to be excited, it reiterates that Demidov is as exciting as the Habs' brass believes him to be. Comments like - he is the smartest in the draft, he has the best hands, an incredible shot and a brilliant processor. Demidov's self assessment of comparing himself to Jack Hughes and Kirill Kaprizov speaks to the abilities and belief that he has in his game.

Demidov wasted little time showing off his skills

Many North American fans had little knowledge of Demidov's game, aside from YouTube highlight packages here and there, pre-draft that is. Now, that he is a Habs, you can type his name into Google search and find loads of content. This is a great opportunity for the Habs' faithful to get all the viewings they can handle, in preparation for his arrival in 2025-26.

His play at the Puchkov tournament - the KHL's preseason under-23 showcase of talent has been impressive. And he continues to look strides ahead of his opponents, showing off his edgework, explosive acceleration and brilliant hockey mind. It often looks like he is playing a game of keep away and everybody else is trying to keep up.

The way he pivots his body and just eats up ice reminds me of Quinn Hughes or for Habs fans Lane Hutson. It's reminiscent of defenders trying to outsmart forwards at the blue line, shimmy-shaking to find open space. He is almost impossible to defend because he throws change-ups, either with quick-twitch stickhandles or turning his back to defenders and gliding on his edges rather than skating in a straight line or side-to-side.