The Montreal Canadiens have signed top forward prospect Ivan Demidov to a three-year, entry-level contract, the team announced Tuesday.
SKA Saint Petersburg of the KHL had already reached an agreement with Demidov to release him from his contract, allowing the winger to join Montreal for the remainder of the 2024-25 season.
Demidov’s KHL contract officially expires May 31. The 19-year-old wasn’t expected to play in North America until the 2025-26 season, with Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes previously ruling out the possibility after scouting him in Russia last December, according to TVA Sports’ Renaud Lavoie.
Hughes told TSN that Demidov’s NHL debut timeline remains uncertain due to paperwork requirements.
“Still to be determined,” Hughes said. “Now we got to work on work permits and things of that nature. So, as soon as the permits are there, he’ll be here ASAP.”
The GM also cautioned against setting expectations too high for the young prospect.
“We don’t want to put too much expectations on him. We’re talking about a 19-year-old kid traveling across the world to come play. Hopefully, he gets a game in or two before playoffs, if we’re able to make them.”
SKA Saint Petersburg indicated Demidov will return to the team if he struggles to adapt to the NHL. The Russian club’s season ended Sunday after losing to Dynamo Moscow in the first round of the Gagarin Cup playoffs.
Demidov led SKA with 49 points (19 goals, 30 assists) in 65 games this season while averaging just 13:45 of ice time.
His production set a new KHL record for most points by an under-20 player, surpassing Kirill Kaprizov’s previous mark of 42 points from the 2016-17 season.
He added three goals and two assists in six playoff games.
Last season, Demidov recorded 60 points in 30 games in Russia’s junior league.
The Canadiens currently hold the second wild-card position in the Eastern Conference with a 38-30-9 record, six points ahead of the next closest team. They’re aiming to reach the playoffs for the first time since 2021.
Montreal has five regular-season games remaining, starting with Tuesday’s matchup against the Detroit Red Wings at 7 p.m. ET.
