It’s that time of the year for The Win Column’s NHL Draft Rankings and Draft Profiles! The 2024 NHL Draft will take place on June 28 and 29 at The Sphere in Las Vegas. Earlier this week, we broke down the consensus top pick in the draft Macklin Celebrini.
Next up in our rankings is Ivan Demidov. If there’s any player in this class that can match Celebrini’s ceiling, it’s Demidov. Much like Matvei Michkov last season, Demidov is likely flying under the radar a bit due to the Russian factor. Regardless, he offers one of the most exciting skillsets in the entire draft.
Who is Ivan Demidov?
| Player | Position | Handedness | Height | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ivan Demidov | RW | L | 5’11” | 181 lbs |
Demidov was born in Serglyev Posad, Russia and has spent his entire hockey career in Russia. It’s worth noting that Demidov is only under contract in Russia for one more season after this one unlike Michkov who had two more years left on his deal.
Standing at 5’11” and 181 pounds, he has decent size for a winger with plenty of room to grow. He currently plays on the right side but given he shoots left he can play on either side.
Demidov’s on-ice production
| Year | Draft Relative | League | Team | GP | G | A | P |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021–22 | D-2 | MHL | SKA-Varyagi St. Petersburg | 12 | 6 | 8 | 14 |
| MHL | SKA-1946 St. Petersburg | 13 | 4 | 3 | 7 | ||
| 2022–23 | D-1 | MHL | SKA-1946 St. Petersburg | 41 | 19 | 43 | 62 |
| MHL | SKA-Varyagi St. Petersburg | 3 | 0 | 2 | 2 | ||
| 2023–24 | D+0 | MHL | SKA-1946 St. Petersburg | 30 | 23 | 37 | 60 |
Demidov has played exclusively in the MHL for the past three seasons which is Russia’s highest level junior hockey league. He’ll finish this season as one of the most productive players in MHL history. In his first season in the league as a 15/16-year-old, he posted 21 points in 25 games. For context, the four players ahead of him were all eligible for the 2023 NHL draft.
In his D-1 season last year, he took a gigantic step forward, seeing his production explode to 64 points in just 44 games despite not even turning 18 until December that season. It was the best total by a U18 player in league history. The total ranked third in the entire MHL behind a pair of undrafted 20-year-olds. His 64 points were actually 32 more than 2023 12th overall pick Daniil But despite being 10 months younger.
This season Demidov has continued to dominate in the MHL, currently sitting on 23 goals and 60 points in only 30 games. He’s currently second in the MHL in scoring behind undrafted 20-year-old Ivan Volgin. He also added on 16 points in eight playoff games which led the league.
His current rate of 2.0 points per game would mark the best single-season rate in MHL history by a U19 player. The next closest is Nikita Kucherov who had 43 points in 32 games during his D+1 season, and Matvei Michkov who had 51 points in 28 games during his D-1 season.
Demidov will also close the season out as the fourth-highest scorer in MHL history. Even more impressive is the fact his 1.46 points per game rate is tops in league history. For some added context, Nikita Kucherov posted 155 points in 117 MHL games for a 1.32-point per-game rate. Demidov is only 10 points back of matching Kucherov’s total but with 18 fewer games played.
Demidov does have some pro level experience, playing in 6 KHL games over the past two seasons, however, he’s averaged under eight minutes a game and has registered no points. Due to the current situation in Russia and the country being banned from international play, Demidov has missed out on any major international tournaments over the past two seasons.
Demidov’s strengths
Agility/allusive skating
Demidov isn’t someone you’d call a quick skater and he doesn’t have elite straightforward speed, but what he does possess is incredibly allusive skating. He’s very strong on his edges and it helps him swerve in and out of traffic with ease. He’s an incredibly shifty player in tight spaces due to his skating and he’s able to maneuver through traffic with the best of the 2024 draft class.
Simply put he has very quick feet, meaning he can quickly change direction and contort his body to protect the puck and avoid defenders. He’s not going to blow by defenders on the rush like a Nathan MacKinnon, but when he gets moving east to west, he’s a hard player to contain because of how strong he is on his edges. Along with his dynamic puck skills, it’s a dangerous combo that has terrorized defenders at the MHL level.
Dynamic puck skills
Like Michkov last season, there’s an argument to be made that Demidov has the best pure puck skills in the entire draft class. Yes even better than Celebrini. He’s a treat to watch with the puck on his stick and possesses dynamic skills that can’t be taught. His stickhandling and hands are next-level good and he can effortlessly dangle through traffic. The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler gives Demidov incredibly high praise in this area.
“[Demidov] has made more one-on-one skill plays so far this season than almost any prospect I’ve scouted for any draft.”
Scott Wheeler on Ivan Demidov’s puck skills
Wheeler throws Demidov’s puck skills up there with not just the best players of this draft, but with the best players of any draft he’s even scouted. That should tell you all you need to know about Demidov’s ability with the puck. He’s a wizard. One-on-one, he’s nearly impossible to contain when he’s on his game as he’s just so quick with the puck that he’s able to shake defenders with ease if he has even a little bit of time and space.
Playmaking
Although he also has a lethal shot and can snipe with the best, it’s Demidov’s playmaking that stands out the most. He’s incredibly efficient at getting his teammates the puck in dangerous areas as he’s able to combine high-end vision and puck skills to thread the needle and find lanes that most players can’t.
His passing is a sight to behold at times. He has such soft hands that he’s able to effortlessly fire the puck through crowded lanes right onto his teammate’s stick. He sees the ice very well and is going to be an elite power play player at the next level because of how good he is at distributing the puck.
His offensive awareness as a whole is incredibly advanced for a player his age and should only continue to get better as he starts to play with and against better players. He always seems to know where everyone is on the ice and is able to use this hockey IQ to put his teammates in the best position to score.
Here’s a compilation from a recent playoff game that shows how easily he can take over games because of his skill.
Demidov’s areas of improvement
Physicality
I’m not one to knock a player’s size and Demidov certainly isn’t small, but if he were to add some more size and strength it would be a big bonus to his game. As is always the case with players his size, the increased size and strength will obviously come with age and Demidov would become an ever more dangerous player if he can bulk up over the next couple of years.
Right now he tends to shy away from the physical aspect of the game, which is fine when you’re playing against under-20 players in Russia, but as soon as he makes the jump to pro hockey, he’s going to have to start adapting his game. Even the most skilled players in the world have to deal with the physicality of the NHL, so Demidov will have to learn to balance his elite skill with some increased willingness to take contact.
Trying to do too much
Like most players his age and with his skillset, Demidov can get caught at times trying to do too much. There are moments when he’s surrounded by multiple defenders and instead of making the safe play, he tries to manoeuvre his way through everyone and ends up losing possession. This is something that will very easily be corrected as he works his way up the ranks and starts working with higher-level coaches and teammates, but for now, it can be a weakness in his game.
Demidov’s comparables
The most obvious comparable for Demidov is his fellow countryman in Kucherov. Both players possess dynamic skill and elite playmaking ability along with a strong shot that makes them a duel threat. Both play creative, dynamic hockey with the ability to take over games from the wing.
As well, they both stand at 5’11 and aren’t exactly the biggest wingers, but are not undersized by any means. I think any team drafting Demidov should hope for a best-case scenario Kucherov 2.0 or Kucherov-lite, which is still a heck of a player.
Another comparable could be Artemi Panarin. Both players aren’t the strongest north-to-south skaters, but possess elite edges and playmaking ability. Like both Kucherov and Panarin, Demidov is likely going to be a force on the power play because of his elite skill and playmaking.
Fit with the Flames
The wing isn’t currently as much of a need for the Flames as centre and defence are, but when a player like Demidov is available you take him nine out of ten times. A player with the dynamic ability Demidov has will always be a fit with any team, regardless of position. Even though the Flames have a logjam on the wing right now, Demidov would still be an incredible fit for a team that is desperate for elite skill and talent.
No offence to the likes of Matthew Coronato, Conner Zary, and Sam Honzek, but Demidov is miles ahead of any other winger the Flames currently have in the system. He would immediately become the organization’s most skilled player and would project as the team’s number-one winger for years to come. He’d be the centrepiece of the rebuild in Calgary.
When you’re picking where the Flames are likely going to be, it’s always better to draft for the best player available versus drafting for a position. Even though they need centres and defenders more than wingers, if Demidov is available he’d be a tremendous fit.
Summary
Just like Michkov, Demidov comes with some obvious risk which is likely to make some teams picking in the top five of the draft hesitant to pull the trigger. There’s the obvious Russian factor and the fact he’s still under contract in Russia for another season, but there’s also the fact he’s yet to be given a real shot against pro-level competition in Russia.
He’s simply too good for the MHL and needs to start playing against higher-level competition to further his development. The problem is any NHL team drafting him has no control over where he plays until the 2025–26 season, meaning he could realistically end up playing in the MHL again next season.
He absolutely has to play against pros next year. He’s also had the unfortunate luck of missing out on any major international tournament thus far, meaning we’ve yet to see him apply his skill in any setting except the lowly MHL.
Regardless of the risks, Demidov carries the raw potential and elite skill to reward any team that picks him in a big way. He’s arguably the most dynamic player in the entire draft and much like Michkov would be a locked-in top-three pick if he wasn’t currently playing in Russia. If he slips like Michkov did, one team is going to potentially get the steal of the draft.
Risk: 4/5
Reward: 5/5
Projection: Elite first line winger
Check out all of The Win Column’s individual player profiles of selected 2024 NHL Draft prospects:
Macklin Celebrini | Ivan Demidov | Artyom Levshunov | Sam Dickinson | Cayden Lindstrom | Berkly Catton | Cole Eiserman | Zeev Buium | Konsta Helenius | Zayne Parekh | Carter Yakemchuk | Anton Silayev | Tij Iginla | Adam Jiricek | Michael Brandsegg-Nygard | Liam Greentree | Igor Chernyshov | Trevor Connelly | Aron Kiviharju | Michael Hage | Ryder Ritchie | Sacha Boisvert | Nikita Artamonov
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