- Ivan Demidov scored on the power play and piled up nine shot attempts in Montreal’s preseason opener
- Martin St-Louis says the 20-year-old has gained “a little bit of a step” since his rookie year
- Read below for what the Canadiens coach sees changing in Demidov’s game
Ivan Demidov has played exactly one preseason game, and Martin St-Louis already sounds convinced something is different.
The Canadiens coach was asked after Saturday’s 4-3 overtime win over Toronto what tells him his winger can go from dangerous as a rookie to flat-out lethal in Year 2. St-Louis went straight to the skating.
“If anything, maybe he’s gained a little bit of a step. Not that he was slow, (but) I feel there’s a little more jump, a little more power, a little more strength. I don’t know what it is, but I felt like I saw that tonight, I’ve been seeing it in practice, which always will help you get places quicker if you anticipate the right way.”
Proof of it landed on the scoresheet at 12:04 of the first period, when Demidov made it 2-0 with a power-play one-timer from low in the right face-off circle.
Take a look at the full highlights from Bell Centre:
St-Louis kept going on what makes Demidov so hard to corner along the boards.
“I thought he was really good in space tonight. Demi’s able to create space for himself. He looks like he’s going to get closed off and he’s able to turn on a dime and go the other way. Very slippery that way.”
Nine shot attempts, three of them on net, is the other number worth sitting with. Demidov has said he wants a shooter’s mentality this season, and his coach called that a natural next move for a player wired to pass first.
“Demi’s a really good passer, but I think he’s learning to find that balance and make the best play possible instead of just making a pass. I think with experience, he can make clearer reads on it instead of always thinking of passing. That always gets better with experience.”
Catch the Canadiens’ full postgame media availability, with Demidov up at the 11:17 mark:
In his Canadiens notebook, Eric Engels of Sportsnet asked Demidov whether any of his offseason work translated right away. The 20-year-old fired back with a two-word answer: “You tell me.”
Demidov led all NHL rookies with 62 points last season before signing an extension his agent says left money on the table. His roster spot was never up for debate this month.
Montreal swept the split-squad doubleheader against Toronto, with Cole Caufield ending the Bell Centre game 38 seconds into overtime. The rest of camp will tell St-Louis whether that extra step is still there once the games count.
