Ivan Demidov was one of the best rookies in KHL history, but shockingly, he's set to be snubbed as Rookie of the Year after the league takes unexpected action.
Before making his way to North America to join the Montreal Canadiens for the end of the 2024/25 season, Ivan Demidov was having one of the best rookie campaigns in KHL history, getting Habs fans incredibly excited for his arrival.
In 65 games this season, Demidov posted 19 goals and 49 points at just 19-years of age, and given his exciting arrival in Montreal, the belief is that he'll be a front runner to win the Calder Trophy in 2025/26 with the Canadiens.
Unfortunately, it appears as though he's not going to win the KHL's Rookie of the Year Award, as No. 22 overall pick Yegor Surin has instead been nominated for the award, as it was reported that management deemed Demidov ineligible due to not being able to attend the award ceremony.
While the KHL are allowed to make and change rules as much as they want, this certainly appears to be a strange decision, as Surin managed a total of 7 goals and 14 points in just 41 games played this past season, a campaign that is far inferior to Demidov in many, many ways.
This likely isn't going to effect Demidov too much, as he has remained in Montreal to prepare for what could be a historic 2025/26 campaign with the team, but overall, it's just a very intriguing decision from the KHL to snub one of the greatest rookies in league history from a well deserved award.
Ultimately, everyone will always know that this award was rightfully Demidov's, as he surpassed the record of 42 points set by Kiril Kaprizov as most by a rookie in league history with 49 this past season, but now, his focus is on the NHL and helping the Montreal Canadiens moving forward.
UPDATE
In another unexpected twist of events, Demidov was rightfully awarded the trophy for rookie of the year.
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