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“Ivan Demidov was incredible today”: Habs hopeful praised by his coach

 Michael Johnson
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“Ivan Demidov was incredible today”: Habs hopeful praised by his coach
Credit: Getty Images
Earlier today, Ivan Demidov (finally) took part in his first intra-squad game with SKA. The youngster, who had missed the first two games, was clearly finally back at a healthy enough level to play.

And clearly, he wasn’t too rusty, scoring the game’s first goal… and doing so with a magnificent shot.

If Demidov is going to have to fight for playing time with a big team, seeing him put in such a performance will help him win points. He needs to show that he deserves a big role, and it’s all the more important that he does so considering that he started later than the others.

But that doesn’t stop his coach from noticing Demidov’s good work. In an address to his team after the game (which was shared on the SKA account’s Instagram Story), club coach Roman Rotenberg took the time to give some love to the Habs prospect:

Vanya [Ivan] Demidov was incredible today. – Roman Rotenberg

In recent years, we’ve often heard about Rotenberg’s reputation with youngsters aiming for the NHL. He’s often uncompromising with these youngsters, and to see him praise Demidov like that (in front of the rest of the team) shows that the kid really impressed him today.

And at the same time, maybe it was an attempt to sting the veterans’ pride.

One intra-squad game doesn’t a season make, clearly. That said, if Demidov can string together a few performances like that and stay in Rotenberg’s good graces, he can probably forget about a world in which he’ll spend the year in the VHL.

And for the Habs, seeing the youngster perform like this in his first game against quality veterans with SKA is certainly something that will reassure the club.

We’ll see if Demidov can steal the show again in the coming days, though he’ll soon have to focus on the Puchkov tournament, where he’ll captain the U23 squad .

But as long as his coach with SKA gives him that kind of love, it will probably reassure the Habs’ management. All that remains to be seen is whether this will change during the regular season.


Overtime

– Love for QMJHL prospects.

– Great Patrick Mahomes.

– The Québécois shines in a prep game.

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