Canadiens prospect Ivan Demidov wins KHL Rookie of the Year award

Montreal Canadiens' Ivan Demidov steps onto the ice prior to an NHL hockey game against the Chicago Blackhawks in Montreal, Monday, April 14, 2025. (Graham Hughes/The Canadian Press)

Montreal Canadiens prospect Ivan Demidov won the Kontinental Hockey League’s Rookie of the Year award on Thursday.

“He’s incredible! Ivan Demidov won the 2025 Rookie of the Year award! In his first season in the KHL, the 19-year-old forward was SKA Saint Petersburg’s leading scorer (49 PTS, 65 G), even though he was only the 11th most-used forward (13:45),” the KHL wrote on its official English-language X account.

He succeeds Metallurg Magnitogorsk goalie Ilya Nabokov, who was voted Rookie of the Year in 2024.

Demidov scored one goal and added one assist in two regular season games with the Habs this season. The 6-foot-1, 192-pound Russian also had two assists in five playoff games this spring against the Washington Capitals.

Demidov was the Bleu-blanc-rouge’s first pick, fifth overall, in the last NHL draft.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on May 30, 2025.