Ivan Demidov: talent equal to or even superior to Macklin Celebrini, according to some teams

Another little sleep and it’s finally NHL draft day. The best night of the year.

So far, we know that the Sharks will select Macklin Celebrini and that, for a few days, the Hawks have been hesitating between two names: Artyom Levshunov and Ivan Demidov. Their choice is made and everything points in Levshunov’s direction. #GoodNewsForTheCanadian

Speaking of Demidov, teams are aware of the talent he represents. In fact, they’re calling the Hawks to find out about the availability of the second pick, because they know he’s as talented as, if not better than, Macklin Celebrini. That’s what Tony Marinaro told BPM Sports.

Live from Las Vegas, Tony Marinaro shared the latest on the NHL draft!

Segment: https://t.co/dTUOcuhxwC pic.twitter.com/CNSjERcPuj

– BPM Sports (@BPMSportsRadio) June 27, 2024

You can hear his segment right here.

When Marinaro mentioned this, I fell out of my chair. I know the Russian is an excellent player, but to compare his talent to Celebrini’s…

After all, the Boston University kid may even be better than Connor Bedard.

Bob McKenzie on Celebrini: “Maybe the shot, the dynamic skill level is not quite as high as Connor Bedard, but he’s probably a better all around natural center than Connor Bedard”

– NHL Watcher (@NHL_Watcher) June 28, 2024

And today, in addition to speaking in French with a Quebec journalist, the winger reassured many with his English, in particular.

His measurements (weight and height), the fact that he’ll be in North America for the draft, and the fact that Matvei Michkov only stayed a year in Russia despite a KHL contract are other factors that are making many teams feel reassured. Could this hurt the Habs?

After all, he’s talking fifth and the three teams ahead of him (excluding the Sharks) have no priority in terms of forwards and defensemen…

As far as the Habs are concerned, he doesn’t have the luxury of knowing which players will be selected ahead of him. So it’s a little harder to know who the next Habs player will be. Experts and journalists have their own ideas and opinions, but the answer will be revealed tomorrow evening at around 7:30 – 7:45 p.m.

While the idea of drafting a defenseman in the fifth spot is becoming increasingly popular, Tony Marinaro would be very surprised if Kent Hughes and his group were to set their sights on a fullback. He mentioned earlier on BPM Sports that he believes either Tij Iginla or Beckett Sennecke would be prioritized if Ivan Demidov and Cayden Lindstrom are no longer available.

Here are his four realistic priorities if he were GM:

Ivan Demidov
Cayden Lindstrom
Tij Iginla
Beckett Sennecke

Although he believes the Habs are targeting a forward, he is a big supporter of Zeev Buium, the Denver defenseman who has been linked en masse to the Habs. Marinaro admits it himself: he’s not the biggest connoisseur of prospects, but he relies on interviews with prospects and discussions with scouts.

And when he spoke with Buium, he was very impressed. He likes his confidence and his personality. The left-hander compares himself to Quinn Hughes, no less, and says he brings a winning culture and knows how to make clubs win because of his all-around game.

Let’s just say that the team that drafts him will be in a boat with a youngster like this.