Ivan Demidov, ladies and gentlemen.
![Canadiens right wing Ivan Demidov) skates with a puck in warm-up before a game against the Blackhawks at Bell Centre.]()
Canadiens. They enter the game against the Chicago Blackhawks at Bell Centre in Montreal looking to snap a two-game losing skid and, more importantly, get the two points they need to secure a spot in the 2025 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs, where they have not been since reaching the Stanley Cup Final in 2021.
Making the night a little more interesting for the Canadiens is the NHL debut of Canadiens rookie Ivan Demidov, who is the prized recruit of the Habs from the KHL in Russia.
The 19-year-old Russian forward appeared to prove that the hype on him is indeed real when he found the back of the net right in his very first game in the league, lighting up Blackhawks goalie Arvid Soderblom 13 minutes into the opening period off of the assists from Joel Armia and Mike Matheson.
Demidov's goal doubled the Canadiens' lead to two, with Alex Newhook scoring the game's first goal at the six-minute mark of the period.
Right after Demidov's goal was posted by several outlets on social media, including the NHL's official X (formerly Twitter) account, fans exploded with all sorts of reactions to his spectacular score.
“demigod gonna have a nice ring to it,” said a fan.
“2 puck touches, 2 points! This kid is something special,” another one shared.
From another commenter: “That didn’t take long! The first of many! 🔥”A different social media user posted: “What a moment for Demidov! First NHL goal and it’s a beauty !! remember this name!”
“Wow, Ivan Demidov's first NHL goal is already a game-changer – that kind of skill from a prospect like him could mean big things for his team, stats like that early on are pure fire keep an eye on his next moves!” gushed an X user.
“This guy's gonna be a DAWG, no cap,” chimed in a fan.
It's been merely a week since Demidov signed an entry-level contract with the Canadiens but he's already seemingly made a difference in what Canadiens coach Martin St. Louis said was the team's “biggest game of the season” (h/t NHL.com Independent Correspondent Sean Farrell).
Montreal selected Demidov fifth overall in the first round of the 2024 NHL draft.
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