Ivan Demidov is already turning heads at Montreal Canadiens camp, and he has not even played a preseason game yet.
A clip from a recent skate is making the rounds, and it shows exactly why this kid was worth the wait.
Demidov glides along the boards, drags the puck through his own skates, then whips it back onto his stick without ever looking down.
The move happens in a blink. No defender is even close, but the hands alone are the story.
Fans online admitted they still cannot figure out how he pulled it off, and honestly, neither can most scouts.
That kind of touch does not show up in every prospect. It is the difference between a guy who can skate and a guy who can play.
Demidov put up 62 points as a 20 year old rookie last season, with 19 goals and 43 assists over 82 games, plus 7 power play goals and a plus-3 rating.
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What this means for Martin St-Louis and the Canadiens roster
Head coach Martin St-Louis inherits a Canadiens team that finished 48-24-10 last season, good for 106 points and sixth overall in the league.
That is a franchise trending upward, and a healthy, confident Demidov only raises the ceiling further.
Think of Demidov's hands the way you'd think of a card shark shuffling a deck. The motion looks effortless right up until you try it yourself and fail completely.
Not every highlight from a summer skate means anything once the games start counting. Camp tape can be misleading.
But this is a player who already proved he belongs, not a projection anymore. The numbers from last season back up the flash.
Kent Hughes built this roster around exactly this kind of talent, betting patience with young players pays off down the line.
Montreal opens training camp soon, and every rep from Demidov between now and puck drop will get watched closely.
If this is what he looks like before the season even starts, Canadiens fans have every reason to expect a bigger jump this year.
Is Ivan Demidov already the most skilled player on the Canadiens roster?
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