Ivan Demidov vs Matvei Michkov: the Quebec-Pennsylvanian Russian battle

Dose
Crédit: We'll be able to compare Demidov's 2025-26 season with Mishkov's 2024-25 season.

It’s August 18. Rookie camp shouldopen in just over three weeks, and the annual Canadiens Children’s Foundation Golf Tournament – which marks the return of hockey to the game each year – should take place in exactly four weeks’ time. In short, it’s starting to feel like hockey in Quebec, even if it’s still 30 12 degrees Celcius outside. Especially with the days getting shorter with every sunset…We’ll be observing several things in Brossard when the practice camp opens: the identity of the guys who will be called upon to form the second line first, Kirby Dach’s state of health, the identity of the fourth defenseman to complete the top four, the different pairs on the blue line, Patrik Laine’s mood, the identity of the backup goaltender, Samuel Blais’ fate, Joe Veleno’s place, Joshua Roy Zachary Bolduc’s role, the Rocket’s young players… But I’ll also be observing something else: will Ivan Demidov be as dominant as he was in his first game against the Blackhawks, or will he need time to acclimatize to NHL hockey?

Demidov scored a goal and an assist in his first game on April 14, but was then limited to two assists and a minus-5 rating in his next six games (including the playoffs). Yes, Lane Hutson, Zachary Bolduc, Noah Dobson, Samuel Blais, Joe Veleno, Patrik Laine, Kirby Dach and others will attract attention in September, but I’ll be watching Demidov in Brossard.

We’ll be able to compare Demidov’s 2025-26 season with Michkov’s 2024-25 season. (Credit: YouTube/capture d’écran)

I’ll go one step further… Matvei Michkov was selected seventh overall in 2023-he could have been the fifth overall pick and lined up for the Canadiens, but Kent Hughes and Jeff Gorton saw things differently-and he played his first campaign a year later. He managed to score 26 goals and 37 assists in his first campaign in Philadelphia, albeit with a minus-18 differential. Will Ivan Demidov, selected fifth overall a year later, be able to have a better first campaign in the show than his compatriot Matvei Michkov? Will the 19-year-old Ivan Demidov have a better NHL season than the 19-year-old Matvei Michkov? Will Demidov be able to do what Michkov was unable to do (because of Lane Hutson), which was win the Calder Trophy?Note: Michkov was born on December 9 and Demidov on December 10 (one year later). So my comparison this morning really does hold up…Who knows? Maybe Demidov will even collect more points than Michkov next season, period. Michkov and Demidov will always be linked to each other. From their training at SKA St. Petersburg, their generational talent and their selection – and non-selection – by the Canadiens de Montréal. So yes, even on this August 18, 2025, it’s not just Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump that occupy my thoughts when I think of Russia.

[

– To be continued.

– Whew.