Last night, the Montreal Canadiens let their top prospect Ivan Demidov make his NHL debut. The young Russian made a glorious entrance on the big stage, scoring one goal and one assist. But one sequence in the third period now has hockey fans scratching their heads.
Ivan Demidov was drafted fifth overall by the Montreal Canadiens in the 2024 draft but remained in Russia for most of the 2024–2025 regular season. Playing for SKA St. Petersburg in the KHL, the 6’0”, 192-lb forward recorded 19 goals and 30 assists for 49 points in 65 games. But when the Canadiens faced the Chicago Blackhawks last night, the young Russian finally made his NHL debut.
Ivan Demidov’s Sensational Debut
It didn’t take long for the talented 19-year-old to make an impression. Just six minutes into the game, he registered his first NHL point with a helper on Alex Newhook’s 1–0 goal. And 13 minutes into the first period, he scored his first goal. However, the Canadiens lost the game in a shootout, earning one point in the standings. They now hold the second wild card spot, four points ahead of the Columbus Blue Jackets. But the biggest talking point after the game wasn’t the standings.
Fans Scratching Their Heads
It wasn’t Demidov’s two points that drew the most attention. Instead, many NHL fans—especially Canadiens fans—are scratching their heads over a sequence that occurred after a Blackhawks turnover in the third period. In the play, Demidov takes a shot, but the Blackhawks gain control of the puck. As they begin their counterattack, every Canadien rushes back to defend—except for Ivan Demidov. Instead, he is seen skating slowly toward his own zone, showing minimal effort letting Lukas Reichel score the equalizer.
”It’s not a mistake, it’s effort” one supporter writes on X.
”The most important game of the year for the Canadiens and that’s the effort he’s giving in his first game. Yikes” another one writes.
You can watch the talked about sequence below.
