The Montreal Canadiens had a great first round at the 2024 NHL Draft.
One that significantly improved their prospect pool, so much so that their top five prospects shuffled significantly. The direction of the rebuild has been steadily forward and the drafting is a big reason why. With development taking such precedence, the Canadiens are looking like a safe bet to become a problem for the league soon enough.
As mentioned, the prospect pool got some fine new additions. The top five in the organization have two new additions, who, in my opinion, will be impact players for a long time. I can’t help but think that Kent Hughes is very pleased with his accumulated talent.
Without further ado, let's dive into the post-2024 draft top five prospects. This player was just drafted fifth overall, with Celine Dion announcing the pick. Many believe that after Macklin Celebrini, this player is the best offensive talent in his draft class.
Ivan Demidov
Ivan Demidov was surprisingly available when the fifth selection rolled around and Hughes must have been grinning from ear to ear. Watching Demidov's highlights resembles McDavid's rushes in the NHL, he grabs the puck in the defensive zone and flies through the neutral zone. This has been against MHL talent, but Demidov has looked well ahead of his peers for the last two seasons.
The two-time MHL Most Valuable Player has won the award in consecutive seasons leading up to his draft selection. After scoring 62 points through 41 games in 2022-23, Demidov followed up his impressive season with an even better one in 2023-24. In eleven fewer games, the Sergiyev Posad, Russia native recorded 60 points in 30 games.
If the regular season statistics weren't enough to get you excited for Demidov, his playoff stats were even better. Demidov scored 28 points through 17 games en route to an MHL Championship. He also led the postseason in goals (11) and assists (17).
Demidov leans a little more playmaker than goalscorer, but don't let that fool you because he will beat goaltenders with his quick release. But his vision stands out, Demidov has quick twitch hands which fuel his passing ideas. He finds holes in coverage and makes difficult passes look very routine.
I mentioned his goalscoring because it is impressive and I think it might be an underrated aspect of his game. The same vision and puck skills that he uses to find openings to make plays are used to find soft ice in the high-danger areas. Demidov has shimmy shake moves to spare and if you give him an inch he will take a mile.
All signs point to Demidov playing another year in the KHL, then making his way over to Montreal once his contract ends. He has all the tools and talent to become a top-six forward with the Habs. And for that reason, he is the Canadiens number one prospect.