Teams believe Ivan Demidov could slide at 2024 NHL Entry Draft
With the 2024 NHL Entry Draft right around the corner, all the eyes will be on the second overall pick and who the Chicago Blackhawks decide to pick.
Macklin Celebrini will be going first overall to the San Jose Sharks, there's no question about that, but there is one prospect with elite talent that could be taken by the Blackhawks and that's Russian forward Ivan Demidov.
Demidov spent the majority of the 2023-24 season in the MHL which is the Russian junior league, where he played for SKA St. Petersburg's youth club and he dominated, putting up 60 points in 30 regular season games, as well as 28 points in 17 playoff contests.
Recently, Cam Robinson of Elite Prospects spoke to teams around the NHL about Ivan Demidov and some believe that while he has a ton of talent, they aren't sure they would take him inside the top five, which could potentially lead to him sliding down the draft board.
I've spoken to a nearly dozen teams about the Russian winger. To a person, everyone acknowledges he has some of the highest potential in the class.
But no single team indicated they would feel secure in taking him with a top 2, 3 or even top-5 pick.
He's a slider candidate for sure." Cam Robinson of Elite Prospects said.
Robinson went on to mention that the reasons for his potential slide in the top ten isn't related to his birth certificate (him being Russian) as was the case with Matevi Michkov in 2023. A big difference between Demidov and Michkov are their contracts and how long they're committed to SKA St. Petersburg for.
Demidov also hasn't played much professional hockey in the last couple of seasons, which is usually the case with the top international draft prospects every year. Between the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons, Demidov has played a total of six KHL games.
He's basically been unchallenged for two years - no pro action, no international action. Slighter-sized winger
Dynamic, but risk attached."
It's certainly going to be interesting to see where Ivan Demidov ends up. Demidov has a ton of talent and upside, but there's a risk selecting him as he hasn't played against top talent in a couple of years. Next season, if he's playing with SKA in the KHL, will be a big year for his development.
| POLL | ||
Who do you think will select Ivan Demidov? | ||
| Chicago - 2nd overall | 27 | 20.9 % |
| Anaheim - 3rd overall | 28 | 21.7 % |
| Columbus - 4th overall | 27 | 20.9 % |
| Montreal - 5th overall | 47 | 36.4 % |
| List of polls | ||
