[Austin Kelly] Montreal Canadiens GM Kent Hughes on Ivan Demidov: “Our scouts were very high on him (Demidov) all throughout the year. We interviewed him before the draft and he was just..I was blown away with his maturity, his confidence, without arrogance. He was just a very impressive kid.”
August 7, 2024
[Austin Kelly] Montreal Canadiens GM Kent Hughes on Ivan Demidov: “Our scouts were very high on him (Demidov) all throughout the year. We interviewed him before the draft and he was just..I was blown away with his maturity, his confidence, without arrogance. He was just a very impressive kid.”
7 comments
Keep going Kent, I’m almost there
I know people will still doubt the pick and compare them their whole careers, and it was obviously not a guarantee they’d get Demidov this year at any point…
But, had they taken Mitchkov last draft you could maybe argue today that the Habs have the most amazing prospect combination at the least important position in hockey (winger) and a massive hole on arguably the most important position behind a number one center (a top pairing right handed d man).
It’s a long way away from Reinbacher looking like a for sure top 4 guy, let alone top pairing, but he certainly has potential to be a 21-26 minute mainstay on that top right pairing and I feel a lot more confident about this group moving forward as a result.
I love all the ways this management team talks guys up.
It was always just “character character character” it seemed with the previous regime.
This current group takes strides to use specific superlatives and talk about why they appeal to them.
It’s not just a talking point or a sound bite. There are specific attributes and traits that they want their team to have and they aren’t unwilling to expand on those thoughts and why it appeals to them.
I need that behind the scenes draft video, Kent. Please!
What I like about this statement is the emphasis on maturity/character…ALL these young players have skill, I like that mgmt seems to be targeting the combination of skill/character….so we don’t end up like the Leafs with lots of skill, but no gamers.
7 comments
Keep going Kent, I’m almost there
I know people will still doubt the pick and compare them their whole careers, and it was obviously not a guarantee they’d get Demidov this year at any point…
But, had they taken Mitchkov last draft you could maybe argue today that the Habs have the most amazing prospect combination at the least important position in hockey (winger) and a massive hole on arguably the most important position behind a number one center (a top pairing right handed d man).
It’s a long way away from Reinbacher looking like a for sure top 4 guy, let alone top pairing, but he certainly has potential to be a 21-26 minute mainstay on that top right pairing and I feel a lot more confident about this group moving forward as a result.
I love all the ways this management team talks guys up.
It was always just “character character character” it seemed with the previous regime.
This current group takes strides to use specific superlatives and talk about why they appeal to them.
It’s not just a talking point or a sound bite. There are specific attributes and traits that they want their team to have and they aren’t unwilling to expand on those thoughts and why it appeals to them.
I need that behind the scenes draft video, Kent. Please!
What I like about this statement is the emphasis on maturity/character…ALL these young players have skill, I like that mgmt seems to be targeting the combination of skill/character….so we don’t end up like the Leafs with lots of skill, but no gamers.
https://preview.redd.it/0r30rxuhhbhd1.jpeg?width=1057&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=658e374c8d5c21bdedaf900180d9914d9fe45bd2
Glad that you are blown away Kent.