Ivan Demidov to wear “C” on his jersey for Russian U23 team at Puchkov tournament

The Nikolai Puchkov tournament is a KHL preseason event that brings together some of Russia’s top teams.

Among the clubs taking part in the next edition are SKA St. Petersburg, AK Bars, Severstal, HC Sochi, Kunlun Red Star and the Russian U23 team.

That said, it’s worth noting that Ivan Demidov won’t be playing with his original team (SKA), but will be captaining the U23 team.

This is a great honor for him, because let’s not forget that he’s only 18 years old.

The Canadian prospect will be one of the youngest players in his squad… But he was still chosen for the captain’s role, which is still interesting.

He’ll have to find a way to lead his club, both on the ice and in the dressing room:

CAPTAIN DEMIDOV 🫡#GoHabsGo prospect Ivan Demidov will captain Russia U23 at the Puchkov tournament August 22-29 pic.twitter.com/5kdjjnkSJ7

– Hockey News Hub (@HockeyNewsHub) August 14, 2024

As much as this may sound like great news, you have to take a step back to see the negative in all this.

Because no, it’s not all positive.

After all, there’s plenty to worry about when you consider that Demidov will be wearing the colors of the Russian U23 team instead of SKA, where he’s due to play next season.

The Nikolai Puchkov tournament is useful for the different teams because it allows the coaches to try things out with their respective line-ups… But Demidov won’t necessarily have the opportunity to earn points in his own coach’s eyes for the next campaign.

That’s what bothers me about all this.

We know that in Russia, young players often have a minimal role in their clubs, and Demidov has to play en masse for the sake of his development.

Because, in the end, we can all agree that playing 8 to 12 minutes isn’t going to help him develop properly.

This would have been the perfect opportunity for him to show his SKA coach that he can be useful in the line-up… But hey.

At least he’ll have the opportunity to improve his leadership skills by wearing the “C” on his jersey for the U23 team.

Overtime

– It’s done.

John Tavares officially passes the #leafs captaincy on to Auston Matthews. pic.twitter.com/DZnmHXqcOl

– Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) August 14, 2024

– Great idea.

John Tavares’ sons wearing Auston Matthews jerseys for his captaincy announcement is everything

– BarDown (@BarDown) August 14, 2024

– John Tavares will still keep an “A” on his jersey.

John Tavares will be a Maple Leafs alternate captain. He remains a leader on and off the ice.

“Leadership isn’t always the rah-rah speech.” – #LeafsForever GM Brad Treliving

– Jon Lane (@JonLaneNHL) August 14, 2024

– Hehe.