
One of the top prospects in the Montreal Canadiens system is etching his name in history overseas.
On Tuesday, SKA St. Petersburg forward Ivan Demidov registered an assist in an 8-3 shellacking in Kontinental Hockey League action at the hands of Ak Bars Kazan. That gave the 19-year-old 24 helpers on the season, giving him 43 points, breaking the record for most points in a single season by an Under-20 player in league history.
Ivan Demidov now sits on top for the most points in a single season by a U-20 KHLer.
— Steven Ellis (@SEllisHockey) February 4, 2025
At his current pace, he's on track to break the U-23 scoring record, too, with Alexander Nikishin putting up 55 points in 2022-23. #GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/Vx64c3TGra
Demidov broke the record of 42 points that was previously held by former Salavat Yulaeav Ufa product and current Minnesota Wild star Kirill Kaprizov, a record that stood for seven seasons. Granted, Demidov has already played two more games than Kaprizov, with more time remaining in the regular season.
Demidov managed to score more points as a U-20 than several current and former NHLers. With 19 goals to boot, the Sergiyev Posad native has more points at his age than what Stanley Cup champion Evgeni Kuznetsov, St. Louis Blues forward Pavel Buchnevich and Philadelphia Flyers rookie Matvei Michkov were able to register.
With 16 games remaining before the Gargarin Cup Playoffs, Demidov has the opportunity to make even more history. With 13 more points, he will surpass Alexander Nikishin’s record for most points by an Under-23 player (55), which he set two years ago.
The Habs took Demidov fifth overall in this past year’s NHL Draft. Daily Faceoff prospect analyst Steven Ellis says it’s easy to see why Demidov is such a highly touted prospect.
“It doesn’t seem to matter whom he plays with or how much ice time he gets – Demidov is as confident as it gets and continues to find ways to produce,” Ellis said. “With two four-point efforts and another three triple nights, Demidov has established himself as one of the most exciting young prospects to come out of Europe in recent memory. Look for Demidov to play a significant role with the Canadiens as soon as October.”
SKA (30-21) is second in the Bobrov Division.