Ivan Demidov: "a rougher Jonathan Huberdeau"

The game of comparisons in the National Hockey League has always existed, and it’s never going to go away, because people like to compare different players.

No matter who the player is, comparisons will always be made, whether at the beginning, middle or end of his career.

However, for several years now, it’s even before the start of a player’s career that the comparisons are the strongest and most numerous.

Indeed, each team’s fans want to have an idea of what to expect from their prospects in the future, so various comparisons with active or former players are always interesting.

The bigger the prospect, and therefore the more prominent, the more comparisons are made and closely analyzed.

With the Montreal Canadiens, Ivan Demidov is the hot commodity at the moment, and rightly so.

The Russian, who has compared himself to Kirill Kaprizov and Jack Hughes, is the best prospect the Habs have had in a long time, so it’s only natural that everyone should make their own personal comparisons.

In fact, the most recent comparison was made by Eric Bélanger, former NHL player and head coach of the Trois-Rivières Lions, when he compared Ivan Demidov to Jonathan Huberdeau.

Ivan Demidov looks like a more aggressive Jonathan Huberdeau on the puck according to Éric Bélanger

His full column with @TonyMarinaro: https://t.co/tqaWyxeucp pic.twitter.com/0QU9gRc0ya

– BPM Sports (@BPMSportsRadio) August 30, 2024

That’s what Eric Bélanger said yesterday on BPM Sports.

For Bélanger, Demidov resembles Huberdeau in the way he skates, moves his body and uses his stick.

However, for the former NHLer, Demidov is a much more aggressive player than Huberdeau, and therefore brings much more intensity to a game.

Demidov wants to make a difference every time he’s on the ice, so he’s much more dedicated to going after the puck when he loses it.

It’s easy to see why Bélanger sees in Demidov the talent and positive aspects of Huberdeau’s game, and not the nonchalant side of the Québécois.

Of course, Bélanger is surely referring to the Jonathan Huberdeau of his heyday with the Florida Panthers, when he recorded a 115-point season, among other things.

In short, there’s clearly a bit of Huberdeau in Demidov, but in the end, the young Russian prodigy is a much more complete and hard-nosed player than the Québécois, who truly represents the type of player capable of becoming a star.

Moreover, according to Bélanger, Demidov will become an electrifying star player in Montreal, and will very quickly become a crowd favorite.

Overtime

– An image that brings tears to our eyes once again.

This picture by the great @Nicole_Kraft really lands a punch.

A young Blue Jackets fan, decked out on Johnny Gaudreau’s No. 13, is consoled as he walks away from the makeshift memorial to Gaudreau outside Nationwide Arena.#CBJ pic.twitter.com/I1Wjq7arSd

– Aaron Portzline (@Aportzline) August 31, 2024

– After Carlos Alcaraz on Thursday, Novak Djokovic was also eliminated from the US Open. It was the winner of the National Bank Open in Montreal who got the better of the Serb.