The Montreal Canadiens are heading to Russia to get an in-person look at the fifth overall pick from this year’s NHL draft.
On the “Saturday Headlines” segment of Hockey Night in Canada, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported that the Canadiens are planning to visit Russia to watch Ivan Demidov play in the KHL.
“The moment the Canadiens drafted (Demidov), they made plans that at some point in time, they would eventually go in the season to go watch him, visit him, check and see how he’s doing,” Friedman said. “They are scheduling that trip now, and it’s going to take place in the next few weeks to months.”
Demidov, 18, currently plays for the KHL’s SKA Saint Petersburg. Through 17 games this season, Demidov has five goals and five assists.
The young Russian is primarily skating on a line with former Washington Capitals forward Evgeny Kuznetsov.
Demidov has one year remaining on his KHL contract with St. Petersburg, and a longtime Russian hockey executive and scout confirmed to Sportsnet’s Emily Sadler that the five-foot-11 forward “is committed to honouring (his) contract and coming to North America after it expires.”
Sportsnet’s Jason Bukala had the left-shot winger ranked as the No. 2 player ahead of the 2024 NHL Draft, behind only first overall pick Macklin Celebrini.