Taking everyone by surprise today, SKA Saint Petersburg have announced that they and 2024 fifth-overall pick Ivan Demidov have agreed to terminate his contract. While the initial belief was that he would remain in Russia to play for SKA Saint Petersburg’s VHL affiliate, he will instead likely be boarding a plane for Montreal, and could soon suit up for the Tricolore.
Thank you, Ivan 👏
— SKA Ice Hockey Club (@hcSKA_News) April 8, 2025
SKA and Ivan Demidov have taken a joint decision which will see the forward join the Montreal Canadiens this season. His KHL rights will remain with SKA. He will return to Saint Petersburg if he doesn’t gain a foothold in the NHL. pic.twitter.com/CsyMPKvE7k
We can’t be positive until we hear from the Canadiens, but it seems a foregone conclusion that they’d sign his Entry-Level contract immediately, and bring him over to finish the regular season in the NHL. This could be a huge boost for the Habs not just in their playoff race, but for their performance once they get there.
Demidov set a new U20 scoring record in the KHL this season with 49 points in the regular season, leading all SKA skaters. He followed that up by leading the team again for playoff scoring, putting up five points in six games before the team was eliminated at the hands of Dynamo Moscow. The anticipation of what he might do when he gets the chance in Montreal has been palpable, and we probably won’t have to wait much longer to find out.
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