Ivan Demidov

Under six foot Russian winger with good pace and strong creativity and makes plays using his feet and his ability to thread pucks with precision to teammates. Although he doesn't use his outside edges, relying on his inside edges which widens his stride far more than you want it to be. This will be a problem in the NHL where attackers are closely covered and must cut back a lot to gain separation. There is some creativity and game breaking skill, and shows a willingness to play in the dirty areas, and no one can question his compete or hockey IQ based on his play in the MHL. He got the call up to the KHL and started the season at SKA-St. Petersburg with Matvei Michkov as his centre. and wasn’t able at this juncture to win a spot, so was dented back to the MHL, and he was sidelined for more than a month with a knee injury. His position has been mostly as a LHRW, but his playmaking skills and strong forecheck has seen him at the centre position also.  Seems very strong for his size/weight. 

                                                                            --Bill Płaczek--