Ivan Demidov's latest revelation changes everything for a Canadiens' top prospect
Ivan Demidov is about to get a summer training partner in Montreal. Alexander Zharovsky, the Canadiens' Russian prospect, is flying in next week to skate with him.
The news dropped Monday afternoon on X. Two Russian forwards. One city. A few months of shared ice.
Demidov just wrapped his first full NHL season with 19 goals and 43 assists in 82 games. He added nine points in 19 playoff contests with the Canadiens.
Zharovsky stays in the KHL one more year. He's still under contract with Salavat Yulaev Ufa, eligible to make the jump to North America starting in 2027-28.
The eye test from the tweet is simple. A respected Quebec hockey reporter confirming two of Kent Hughes' biggest swings on Russian talent will be sharing a sheet of ice within days.
It should be noted that Zharovsky is still under contract with Salavat Yulaev Ufa in the KHL for another season. He will then be eligible to make the jump to North America starting with the 2027-2028 season."
- Patrick Guillet
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That detail matters more than it looks. Demidov already lived the transition. He knows what the rink size feels like, what the schedule does to your body, what the Bell Centre demands.
Why Hughes keeps stacking Russian skill in Montreal
Kent Hughes hasn't been shy about drafting and developing players the rest of the league sometimes overlooks. The Russian pipeline is now a real branch of this rebuild, not a side bet.
Demidov posted a +3 rating across his 82-game rookie campaign. That's not just offensive output. That's a 20-year-old keeping his head above water in tough matchups.
His seven power play goals tell you Martin St-Louis trusted him in the top unit. The deployment was real. The role was real.
For Zharovsky, that's the blueprint. Watch how a Russian kid one year older than him handled the spotlight in the most demanding hockey market on the continent.
The Canadiens finished 48-24-10 with 106 points and went 7-3-0 in their last ten. That's the team Zharovsky is being introduced to from the inside.
Now picture the body of work waiting for him. A full KHL season. Then a development camp. Then the long climb most prospects only read about.
Is Hughes building a Russian core on purpose, or just taking the best talent available regardless of passport? Either way, the optics this week tell their own story.
The off-ice piece gets ignored too often. A 19-year-old landing alone in a French-speaking city is one thing. Landing with a friend who's already done it is another.
Demidov hit 62 points as a rookie. The bar Zharovsky just walked into is no longer theoretical.
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YESTERDAY
MAY 29, 2026
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| G | A | PTS | ||
| Taylor Hall | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| Logan Stankoven | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| Jackson Blake | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Seth Jarvis | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Cole Caufield | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Shayne Gostisbehere | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Eric Robinson | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Sebastian Aho | - | 1 | 1 | |
| William Carrier | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Nikolaj Ehlers | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Lane Hutson | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Alexander Nikishin | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Andrei Svechnikov | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Frederik Andersen | - | - | - | |
| Josh Anderson | - | - | - | |
| Zachary Bolduc | - | - | - | |
| Alexandre Carrier | - | - | - | |
| Jalen Chatfield | - | - | - | |
| Kirby Dach | - | - | - | |
| Phillip Danault | - | - | - | |
| COMPLETE STATS | ||||