SCOUTING REPORTS
"The player with the most individual puck skill in the class, Demidov is a skill-first playmaking forward who finished third in the MHL in scoring last year (extremely rare for a player his age in a league typically dominated by 19- and 20-year-olds) and played at a higher point-per-game pace than the two players in front of him, alongside his older brother, Semyon. This season, after a strong preseason with SKA, he won a job out of camp but played little and then, after bouncing between levels trying to rediscover his game, injured his knee and missed a month and a half. After returning, he tore up the MHL with one multi-point game after another and five to 10 shots a night, putting together one of the most productive extended stretches of play ever at Russia’s top junior level and making pretty goals look casual." - *Scott Wheeler, The Athletic*
"Demidov has been the best player in Russia's junior league over the last two seasons. He has game-breaking skill and is extremely creative in making plays with the puck. He has a strong motor and competes hard to win pucks. Demidov isn't that big, but he gets to the hard areas of the ice to create chances. While he can run a power play and create when the game slows down, he makes a lot of plays on the move. He's a powerful but awkward-looking skater and he's not the biggest winger so there is some question about how his game will translate to higher levels. I see a potential top-line winger who will score a lot, but who may never be the best forward on an NHL team." - *Corey Pronman, The Athletic*
"In a vacuum he’s the most talented forward this draft class has to offer outside of Celebrini. Demidov possesses many of the same traits Celebrini does, only his track record is against younger, more unproven talent." - *Sam Cosentino, Sportsnet*
"Demidov has what scouts call “hero mode,” allowing him to turn on a dime and take a game over. It can come at a detriment at points, especially defensively." - Steven Ellis, Daily Faceoff
