Before the Headlines. Before the Hype. Before the Storm.
Long before Montreal fans started chanting his name, before the draft-night chaos, before every analyst labeled him “the next generational talent,” there was just a boy.
A skinny kid in Yaroslavl, Russia, skating on cracked ice with skates two sizes too big. A boy no one outside his hometown had ever heard of — but one who would change the game forever.
That boy? Ivan Demidov.
And in the 2025–2026 NHL season, the world will finally see what those who’ve been watching quietly for years already know: Demidov isn’t just good. He’s inevitable.
The Secret Nobody Wanted to Share
Ask anyone who’s faced him in practice, from grizzled KHL veterans to stunned NHL defenders, and they’ll tell you the same thing: there’s something almost unnatural about the way Demidov moves on the ice.
“He doesn’t just see the play,” said one former coach. “He builds it. Like he’s five seconds ahead of everyone else.”
But for years, that talent was a secret — whispered about in dim rinks, noted in quiet scouting reports, carefully hidden by those who knew what was coming. Montreal wasn’t just drafting a player in 2024. They were drafting a storm.
From Ghost to Gladiator
In the KHL, they called him The Ghost. Because one second you’d think you had him locked down, and the next, the puck was in the net and you were staring at the scoreboard, wondering what happened.
Demidov didn’t just play well in Russia. He redefined what dominance looked like. Breaking under-20 scoring records. Earning the league’s top rookie honors. Doing it all with a quiet confidence that made teammates whisper and opponents curse.
But that was just the beginning.
Montreal’s Gamble That Paid Off
Draft night was chaos. Rumors swirled. Other teams hesitated — too many questions, too many unknowns. Montreal didn’t blink.
“We knew what we were getting,” a Canadiens scout said later. “The rest of the league just didn’t understand.”
Now? Those same teams are kicking themselves, watching highlight reels they wish were theirs.
The Arrival
His first NHL preseason shift told the story. Lightning through the neutral zone, a deke that left a veteran defenseman frozen, and a goal that had the Bell Centre roaring.
By the time his rookie season began, Demidov wasn’t just part of the lineup — he was the lineup. His debut? A goal and an assist before the first period was even over.
From there, the myth grew. Kids copied his moves in driveways. Jerseys with his number flew off shelves. Entire bars went silent when he touched the puck, waiting for the magic.
The 2025–2026 Takeover
If his rookie year was a warning, the 2025–2026 season will be a reckoning.
The league knows what’s coming — and they can’t stop it. Coaches double- and triple-team him. Analysts pour over every second of his ice time, desperate for a weakness. Opponents try to push him around, hoping to rattle the kid from Russia.
It never works.
Because Demidov isn’t just a player. He’s a problem.
In December 2025, against the league-leading Rangers, Demidov delivered a game for the ages: four points, including a jaw-dropping overtime winner that fans are still talking about.
“You could feel it,” said one teammate. “That night, the league realized: this guy isn’t coming. He’s already here.”
The Whispered Fears of the League
Behind closed doors, NHL veterans admit what they won’t say publicly: Demidov scares them.
“You can’t read him,” said one all-star defenseman. “You think he’s going left, he’s already past you on the right. You think you’ve closed his lane, and then — bang — it’s in your net.”
Even goalies have started studying his tape obsessively, trying to predict the unpredictable. No one’s found the answer yet.
The Price of Genius
But genius comes at a cost.
Behind the highlight reels and roaring crowds is a young man shouldering the weight of a city’s hopes — and the expectations of an entire league. The pressure is relentless. The scrutiny never stops.
“He’s twenty,” a Canadiens coach said quietly. “People forget that. They see the numbers, the skill, the hype — but they don’t see the toll.”
And yet, every time the puck drops, none of that shows.
A Future Written in Ice
If the early chapters of Demidov’s story are this explosive, the next few years could be historic.
MVP trophies? Inevitable.
50-goal seasons? Just a matter of time.
A Stanley Cup in Montreal? No longer a dream — but a countdown.
“He’s the kind of player you build dynasties around,” one NHL executive admitted. “If Montreal plays this right, we could be talking about a decade of dominance.”
The Storm Has Arrived
For years, fans, analysts, and even rivals whispered about the kid from Yaroslavl. They called him a prospect. A maybe. A “what if.”
Now, those whispers are over.
Ivan Demidov isn’t just the future of hockey. He’s its present. And in the 2025–2026 season, the NHL won’t just watch him.
They’ll fear him.
Bet on it.
