Ivan Demidov is selected by the Montreal Canadiens with the fifth overall pick during the first round of the 2024 Upper Deck NHL Draft (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
In mid-June, few Montreal fans knew anything about Ivan Demidov. After the Canadiens selected him as the fifth overall pick in the 2024 NHL Entry Draft in late June, the details of the 18-year-old forward's life and character became one of the hottest topics in the Quebec hockey world.
And here's another fact about the Canadiens' most anticipated prospect: he wouldn't mind being similar to the Canadiens' head coach, Martin St. Louis, in one way.
"We met St. Louis at the draft and had a chance to talk briefly," Demidov told RG.
When asked if he would like to build legs as muscular as St. Louis, Demidov smiled and replied, "I'm working on it right now."
Vincent Lecavalier, who played 17 seasons in the NHL between 1998 and 2016, is currently a special advisor of hockey operations for the Canadiens. Recently, he said on Demidov: "I think he's the smartest player in the draft. He just makes plays that you don't expect. He makes everybody better."
"I'm very pleased to hear such words," Demidov said. "Lecavalier and St. Louis are the players who were the driving force of the Tampa Bay Lightning and the entire league in the 2000s. And now it's incredibly pleasant to hear such praise from them."
RG asked Demidov to put together a symbolic NHL team of the players he enjoys watching the most.
Photos of Demidov with his girlfriend, which he posted on Instagram, have been widely circulated on the Internet. What was the player’s motivation for posting them?
"These are just beautiful photos, so I decided to share them," Demidov said. "And in general, in our world, it is crucial to develop your social media presence. This is one of the key components of your brand if you want to get advertising contracts. In this regard, one of my favorite athletes is Cristiano Ronaldo. He is a marketing idol. On August 21, he created his YouTube channel, and in the first week, he gained 50 million subscribers. It was impressive!"
Sergey has been in sports journalism since 2007 as a reporter, editor, and manager. He has covered the Olympic Games, soccer World Cups, the World Cup of Hockey in 2016, the European championships, the Stanley Cup Finals, IOC events, and many others. Sergey interviewed the sport's greatest athletes, coaches, and executives. Since 2016, he has been an Independent Senior Editor of NHL.com/ru.
