SKA Head Coach Romain Rotenberg In an interview with , he said he discussed a joint development plan via remote communication with representatives from Montreal. Ivan Demidov .
At the end of June, at the NHL Draft, the Canadian club selected 18-year-old Demidov fifth overall. Last season, Demidov, as part of SKA-1946, won the Kharlamov Cup and was recognized as the MHL’s most valuable player. In the playoffs, the forward played 17 games, scoring 28 points (11+17).
— Matvey Michkov arrived in Philadelphia, where his presentation will take place on July 24. Immediately in Montreal, they reacted by saying that Ivan Demidov will come to join them this season. But he has a contract with SKA until 2025.
— I spoke on Zoom for an hour and a half with representatives of the Montreal Canadiens. Head coach Martin San-Louis was not in contact, but special advisor to hockey operations Vincent Lecavalier, the club president, the general manager and all the executives were.
We discussed Demidov, everything was well discussed. It was a very positive conversation about how we will develop Ivan at SKA. There was not even a conversation about the fact that he is now leaving for Canada. It was the malicious critics who spread false news. Perhaps Russian journalists are even exaggerating this idea.
But the truth is that Montreal and I have a common plan for Demidov’s development. Our task is for Ivan to have his best season in the KHL. And here a lot depends not only on the coach, but also on the player himself. Nikita Zaitsev, Mikhail Grigorenko, Sergei Plotnikov joined us at SKA… We have a very strong and competent team. And this will benefit Demidov. Adult teammates will help Vanya on the ice and in life. “He will gain invaluable experience that will help him in the future,” Rotenberg told .
Philadelphia selected Michkov seventh overall in the 2023 NHL Draft. On June 25, SKA announced the hockey player’s departure. In early July, the NHL team signed the forward to a three-year standard entry-level contract. The Russian forward was loaned to Sochi last season, where he played 47 games and scored 41 points (19 goals and 22 assists).
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Source : MatchTV
I’m Emma Smith, a dedicated journalist and avid storyteller. I have been writing for news websites for the past 5 years, reporting on hockey news and delivering in-depth analysis of the sport. In my current role as Author at Athletistic, I write about hockey events from around the world to keep followers up-to-date with what’s happening in the sport.
