Montreal Canadiens rookie Ivan Demidov has decided to spend the Summer in Montreal to train under the Habs’ staff supervision and work on his language skills in both French and English. His limited experience in the league so far appears to have been key in his decision.
In an article about New Jersey Devils rookie Arseniy Gritsyuk, RG.org reveals the advice Demidov gave him in these terms:
Demidov told me, ‘Playing against Washington was tough. They pressure you everywhere on the ice. There’s no freedom at all, so decisions have to be much faster".
It's reassuring to see that the Canadiens’ most exciting rookie for the next season was able to understand what he needed to work on and put in the work right away to be better suited to the NHL come October.
What’s excellent about Demidov is not only his talent and skill, but also his right attitude and humility. He didn’t come over thinking he was going to set the league on fire right away and that he had made it; he came over knowing getting to the NHL was an important stepping stone, but not the ultimate goal.
He has the humility necessary to identify his areas of need and receive constructive criticism to progress. What’s even better, though, is that those qualities apply on and off the ice. His Summer program is not only about becoming a better hockey player on the ice, but it’s also about becoming a better professional off the ice.
Demidov has heard and taken heed of the advice provided by his countrymen who were once members of the Canadiens, such as Ilya Kovalchuk and Andrei Kovalenko. From the outside, it looks like the youngster has all the tools necessary to become a star in the NHL, and that's just what the Habs needed.
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